Shattered
Chapter nine

"Granger," Draco purred sidling up next to her at the Gryffindor table early one morning at breakfast straddling the long bench chair, it was early and they were one of the first few people in there.

"Yes, Malfoy?" she bit, sighing hard, she thought today was going to be a good day, but here he was to prove her wrong. The grip on her fork tightened as she pondered if she could use it as a weapon.

"I see the weasel was betrothed recently, he purred in her ear trying to garner a reaction from her.

"He was, yes, good on him," she had to force the words to fall from her lips as anger bubbled in the pit of her stomach threating to spew forth in a spray of harsh words.

"And I noticed you didn't go. Or were you not invited?"

"I don't see what any business of that is to you, Malfoy."

"Oh, sore spot. Obviously, you didn't get invited." He slid closer to her, his hot breath on her face as he knitted his brow together watching her intently.

Her fingers twitched on the fork for a moment. She was trying to stop herself from prying his eyeball out of its socket with it…

"With him out of the way, there is no reason why you and I couldn't get together… See where life takes us."

"You could be the last person on earth and I still wouldn't as you so eloquently put it 'see where life takes us."

"Come on Granger, you have nothing to lose and besides, you might find I am a delight to be around." He rested his hand on her bare knee, slowly wiggling his fingers under the hem of her skirt.

"I swear to Merlin, Malfoy if you don't remove your hand from my person at this instance, I will stab you with this fork." She brought her arm up high, fork glinting in the light, a large, warm hand grabbed her around the wrist gently and pulled the fork from her grip, dropping it on the table with a soft metallic clatter.

"Now, now, children, play nice," Severus Snape drawled smoothly looking down at the two other them as he dropped her hand, Draco retracted his hand from her leg like she was on fire.

"He was antagonizing me, Sir. And then he touched me inappropriately."

"I touched you on the knee that is hardly inappropriate," he argued.

"It is to me, she huffed."

I'd like to touch you inappropriately, Severus thought to himself before pushing the thought right to the back of his mind. He had to keep reminding himself that she was a student, he was a teacher, and he couldn't be having impure thoughts like that. He wasn't an old perve, but he could appreciate she was certainly blossoming from Gryffindor cub to fierce Lioness and add to that her brains and intellect she certainly was appealing.

"Draco, leave Miss Granger alone, Miss Granger please don't use the cutlery to commit murder on my watch. I am not sure how well these double as weapons but I assume it would take a while to cut through Mister Malfoys carotid artery with a butter knife and we don't have all day."

Draco stood and stormed off. He was going to get his way, he didn't care how long it took, no one said no to him.

-o-o-o-o-

Hermione Granger sat in the astronomy tower on the cold window ledge, her back and head resting against the stone window frame, legs tucked up almost against her chest as she watched over a sleeping Hogwarts, snow silently falling from the sky, powdering everything it could reach. Christmas was coming and this got Hermione somewhat down. She didn't have a family to spend time with and her friends still hadn't contacted her. It had been a few weeks since she had talked to Professor Snape and she felt more alone now than ever.

She thought perhaps he was distancing himself after she last fell asleep in his chambers after he had divulged what a horrible childhood he had. That had to be it. Because after that day he hadn't made an attempt to find her, or talk to her other than in the classroom when she had potions, and that for some stupid reason also upset her. She felt as if she had someone to confide in with him, she found after talking to him she felt better, like the weight on her chest had been lifted. She could breath easier and she could sleep.

Since he had been avoiding her (which she was sure of, despite having no substantial evidence) she had gone back to tossing and turning, to being unable to sleep. All night, every night thoughts would play in her mind, souring her mood. She would always think of Ron and the betrayal she felt that he didn't even invite her to his wedding. She was hurt that Harry hadn't even come to see her and tell her. She was hurt and she was angry and confused. Not even Ginny had told her and she shared a fucking common room with the bitch. Was it all some giant conspiracy theory to hide it from her?

She growled low in her throat as a tear slipped down her cheeks silently. She wished she could go back in time to the exact moment her life began to fuck up and she could fix it, she could walk another path and avoid the hardships and shortfalls she was facing now. If she knew this was going to happen she would have accepted Ron's proposal and married him, she would still have her friends and she wouldn't be alone, she would have someone and right now, anyone was better than no one.

"You could always take Draco up on his offer."

She let out a deep breath, scrubbing her palms over her face to try to hide her tears that were falling freely down her cheeks. "I'm not that desperate," she bit out as he came into view, standing before her in the darkened tower, orange glow of a cigarette tip illuminated in the inky-black darkness.

"I'm not that desperate- yet," she bit darkly, correcting herself.

"And yet, your thoughts say otherwise." He drew in on his cigarette before tossing it on the ground stepping on it.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop invading my privacy?" Crossing arms over chest she cast her gaze back over Hogwarts, the snow starting to fall harder.

"I don't always do it. Only sometimes when you are in deep thought and I am interested in what you are thinking."

"What do you want, anyway?" She asked with a little too much animosity in her voice. "Come to kill me and toss me off of here too?" She asked with a cold and angry bitterness in her voice.

"Wow. You don't hold back, do you?" He asked as he sat down on the window ledge beside her, his body brushing against her legs.

"Honesty is the best policy," She said with a mock tone and a forced smile.

"I was just wondering how you are, Miss Granger. It's been a while since I was in your company and I thought I might come and check on you."

"Why do you even care?" She spat bitterly.

"What's up your ass tonight, he asked casually?" Forgetting he was talking to a student. He had grown accustomed to her company and grown comfortable around her.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Nothing, at all. Nothing that concerns you and nothing you need to worry yourself about."

The truth was, she was pissed off that he hadn't talked to her and he hadn't made an effort to see her and she didn't know why it hurt her so, he was her teacher and she was his student, there was nothing going on other than that, yet she felt hurt and betrayed.

"If you say so." He pulled another cigarette from his robes, lighting the tip with his wand and drawing back on it.

"I know so." She rested her cheek against her knee looking at him.

"Indeed. Must you be so petulant?" He took another drag on the cigarette holding the smoke in his lungs for a few seconds before releasing.

"I'm not being petulant."

"You are. And childish." He flicked the smoke out the window and watched as it fell to the ground and extinguished in the thick blanket of snow on the ground.

She licked her lips as she watched him intently; he was interesting, dark and commanding. He was cold and he was calculating but he was also very reserved.

He watched her. She was uncertain of herself despite her abilities, she had somewhat grown into her self and wasn't completely unfortunate looking. She lacked confidence now more so than ever in her life. She was lackluster in anything she put her hand to, gone were the days when she was vivacious and outgoing.

Their eyes locked, her head still resting on her knee, Hermione wanted to break the gaze but his own gaze commanded hers, challenging her. Heat flushed into her cheeks and she was glad it was dark so he couldn't see her flush red. He felt something deep within him stirs, something he hadn't felt since he was with Lily. He wasn't sure if it was empathy he was feeling which was quite foreign to him, or something else, but the next thing he did, was done subconsciously and without any thought as if it came naturally.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on her head, stroking her auburn curls. She closed her eyes, relishing in his gentle touch.

It interested him that she didn't pull away and didn't tell him to go fuck himself. She seemed to enjoy the touch as if she welcomed it. Part of him wanted to pin her to the wall and shove his tongue down her throat, another part of him wanted to slide his cock into her tight, wet core and fuck her until she begged him to stop and another part of him wanted to take her in his arms and tell her everything would be ok.

She sucked in a shuddery breath and closed her eyes; she felt at ease, she felt carefree for a moment, she felt as if someone cared. She also felt like she wanted to crawl into his lap, wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him, just to see what his lips felt like on hers, to see how he tasted. But she knew his gesture was one of comfort and nothing more, she wanted it to be more. She needed the touch of another and she needed him. Holy shit. Did she really just think that? She didn't need him. She was just in a moment of weakness. She didn't need anyone, she certainly wasn't enjoying this at all she tried to tell herself, but she was lying and she knew it.

She sighed contently as they both sat in silence, just appreciating the others company. He knew right at the moment he blurred the line between teacher and student and what was right and what was wrong even more, but he didn't care. This was so right but it was so wrong, it felt right but he knew it was wrong. But did he care? Nope. It wasn't like he was going to bend her over the windowsill, thread his hand through her hair and fuck her from behind.

His fingers twitched at the thought, burying his fingertips into her hair a little as he stroked the soft, silky curls but he knew better. He knew whatever he wanted to do with her, whatever he may feel towards her would never in a million years be reciprocated, and he wondered for one fleeting moment if she was the missing half to make him whole. He pondered for just one second, what if she was the soul mate that he was searching for, that he was meant to be with. He pushed that stupid redundant thought out of his head and recoiled his hand slowly. That was stupid and he was stupid to think about it.

She looked disappointed when he took away his hand and the affection was gone. His touch alone was putting her at ease, making her feel safe and wanted and needed. She knew it wasn't right, she knew he was her teacher, nothing more, nothing less and that was how it was going to stay no matter how much she liked his touch.

She sat up and stretched, swinging her legs back over the edge of the window and placing them on the floor and stood up. "I guess I best be going."

He stood with her, smoothing his palms over his robes, straightening them up. She did the same to the shirt and jeans she was wearing under the thick, woolen cloak.

"Let me walk you back, Miss Granger."

She looked at him apprehensively before nodding her head in agreement. They walked in silence through the dimly lit halls of the castle, their shadows dancing on the walls, their footfalls barely audible on the cobblestone floor.

"Have you worked out what you are doing for Christmas, Miss Granger?" He asked as they slowly ambled along.

"I'll probably just stay here. I could go home, to the house my parents left behind but the thought of being alone and not having them there breaks my heart. Harry and Ron haven't made a single effort to contact me since Ron married that stupid, vapid cow."

"Could you have said that with any more animosity? And you told me you didn't care." He smirked.

"I don't care."

"You do. Your tone and the look on your face gave it away."

"Whatever you reckon," she huffed as their heads snapped to the right as they heard someone racing towards them.

"What is going on here?" Minerva came strolling up to them with urgency. A hint of anger laced in her tone. Why were Severus Snape and Hermione Granger walking the halls at two a.m. together?

"Nothing, Minerva," he bit dryly through gritted teeth. "Miss Granger had detention and the hours just passed right by us. I was just walking her back."

She cast him at accusatory gaze. Severus Snape had never let the time get the better of him when a detention was in order. He would count down to the last second before sending them on their merry way before he felt the urge to hex them to next week.

"Very well." She looked down her nose at the both of them, before walking past them, leaving them to continue on with their journey in silence.

She would have to keep a closer eye on them, something was amiss and she didn't like the feeling she was getting. Never had he ever lost track of the time and never would he ever escort Hermione Granger back to Gryffindor Tower. He would much sooner hex her than help; he would never, ever walk a student back to their dormitory.

Hermione pondered as they walked in silence, why did he lie to her? Why did he not just tell her the truth that she was out of bed and he found her? Was he protecting her from the repercussions that would have befallen her should the truth be known? This was interesting, very interesting.

A/N: Thank you, everyone, for the reviews, I really appreciate it. Slowly getting somewhere between the two of them, expect some more development between them soon. As I said, it was a slow burn from the start but now I have progressed in the story, more will be happening.

-Aliasmel1