Chapter 6: Slughorn's party: Getting Close to Snape

"Hermione! Hermione!"

"Harry! There you are, thank goodness! Hi, Luna !"

"What's happened to you?" asked Harry, for Hermione looked distinctly disheveled, rather as though she had just fought her way out of a thicket of Devil's Snare.

"Oh, I've just escaped-I mean, I've just left Cormac," she said. "Under the mistletoe," she added in explanation, as Harry continued to look questioningly at her.

"Serves you right for coming with him," he told her severely.

"I thought he'd annoy Ron most," said Hermione dispassionately. "I debated for a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought, on the whole -"

"You considered Smith?" said Harry, revolted.

"Yes, I did, and I'm starting to wish I'd chosen him, McLaggen makes Grawp look a gentleman. Let's go this way, we'll be able to see him coming, he's so tall..."

The three of them made their way over to the other side of the room, scooping up goblets of mead on the way, realizing too late that Professor Trelawney was standing there alone.

"Hello," said Luna politely to Professor Trelawney.

"Good evening, my dear," said Professor Trelawney, focusing upon Luna with some difficulty. Harry could smell cooking sherry again. "I haven't seen you in my classes lately..."

"No, I've got Firenze this year," said Luna.

"Oh, of course," said Professor Trelawney with an angry, drunken titter. "Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought, would you not, that now I am returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have got rid of the horse? But no... we share classes... It's an insult, frankly, an insult. Do you know..."

Professor Trelawney seemed too tipsy to have recognized Harry. Under cover of her furious criticisms of Firenze, Harry drew closer to Hermione and said, "Let me get something straight. Are you planning to tell Ron that you interfered at Keeper tryouts?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Do you really think I'd stoop that low?"

Harry looked at her shrewdly.

"Hermione, if you can ask out McLaggen-"

"There's a difference," said Hermione with dignity. "I've got no plans to tell Ron anything about what might, or might not, have happened at Keeper tryouts."

"Good," said Harry fervently. "Because he'll just fall apart again, and we'll lose the next match -"

"Quidditch!" said Hermione angrily. "Is that all boys care about? Cormac hasn't asked me one single question about myself, no, I've just been treated to A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac McLaggen non-stop ever since-oh no, here he comes!"

She moved so fast it was as though she had Disapparated; one moment she was there, the next, she had squeezed between two guffawing witches and vanished.

"Seen Hermione?" asked McLaggen, forcing his way through the throng a minute later.

…

Just her misfortune to come around the corner and bump into Professor Snape and Draco. She could see Draco arguing furiously with the potions master, and Hermione cast a charrm, trying to hear better what they were saying. Harry was convinced that Draco was up to no good.

Abruptly she saw Draco storm off. Snape paused for a movement then turned around and stared at the very spot she was standing in.

"You can come out now Miss Granger." Said Snape.

Hermione sighed and removed her disillusionment.

"How did you know it was me." She asked.

"There's not a lot of people who would spy on a professor," he said evasively, "I think the better question is why you thought it was acceptable to spy on a private conversation between a student and their professor."

Hermione looked down at her shoes.

"Professor, he can't be trusted. We need to find out what he's up to. For the order."

"And what makes you think that you can outwit Draco Malfoy and Lord Voldemort?" he drawled, towering over her imposingly.

"We've done it before, Sir." she replied.

He laughed.

It was the first time she could remember him laughing in a long time.

"How very true." He said.

There was a pause, as if he didn't know what more to say.

He continued standing close to her, she could feel the warmth radiating off of him.

She looked up into his eyes to find him watching her intently.

"How is it that when I'm around you I feel a compulsion towards you." He asked.

As soon as the words had left his mouth a look of mistrust and regret crossed his face. "Why did I say that. Did you drug me?" he said suspiciously

She looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

"Did you drug me, Miss Granger? A potion perhaps?"

"No, Sir." She replied. He leaned in closer to her, his faced millimeters from hers, staring down into her eyes. She found herself unable to look away.

"Charms?" She shook her head

"Witchery then." He whispered and he leaned in, pressing his lips up against hers.