In the Darkness

Oh my God I am so tired! You are all lucky that I have even updated today, I wasn't going to because I am so tired! Anyway, I have, so here it is!

My New Beta, KDarkMaiden, Thank you!

Chapter 6

Snape stormed into the classroom, and after having a terrible night of sleep he was in no mood to be messed around with. The first and only important thing on his mind at this moment was finding that girl, that student, before she was forever silenced. Something that would sentenc him to an eternity of sleepless nights where the darkness is endless. He would not let that happen, not again.

The class of 17 and 18 year-olds chattered amongst themselves, getting themselves ready for the lesson. He stood at the front, shuffling a few papers into piles before starting the lesson as he always did.

"Silence. You will carry on from yesterday with yourPyroice potions. You should all be at step 3 after yesterday's lesson. Today you will finish, then I will come around and inspect the finished result. If it is not right you will repeat the whole thing next lesson. Homework will be handed in at the end. Continue." The students fell from avidly listening to him to going about getting ingredients and such. He began his usual walk around the classroom, ensuring that everything was as it should be, checking on potions and the student's ability to read instructions and anything else that might call for his attention.

As he looked over the shoulder of a student, he saw Potter and Granger talking in front of him. He looked and saw them leaning close together. Seeing them at such close proximity brought wicked thoughts and endless possibilities of what they could be talking so quietly about. He straightened and made his way over, only hearing Potter's last comment.

"Jesus that was lucky!" Potter said quietly. Neither of them had heard him standing behind them.

"What, prey tell, is so important that you do not give this highly dangerous potion your full and undivided attention?" He said in a dangerously low tone. Granger jumped and Potter turned around to look at him.

"We were…talking about the Quidditch, Sir. It was practise today." Severus wasn't stupid. He knew that they were not talking about Quidditch.

"I am aware of that Mister Potter, what I am unaware of is how that is associated in anyway to this subject and in particular, with this highly volatile potion when you are clearly in a Potions lesson and not in Quidditch practise. Ten points from Gryfindor, for your lack of concentration." And with that he turned and began to walk away, moving slowly so he could overhear their conversation. It was obviously something that they didn't want anyone else to hear.

"He definitely didn't know it was you last night, or else you would be dead right now. The Astronomy Tower Herm, what were you thinking?"

Something clicked in Severus' mind. Last night. The Astronomy Tower. Click. Severus's jaw dropped. It was Hermione Granger in the tower. She was the source of that voice. She was his angel. It was Granger who had run from him, and as a result of not finding her cost him his sleep that evening. It was her sweet voice that had calmed him the night previous, that voice that enraptured him, that lulled him even after the sound had stopped…

Hermione Granger.

It didn't make any sense. He spun around and looked at her, as if to affirm it, not wanting to believe it. He had discovered his angel so unexpectantly, when he wasn't even looking for her. It didn't seem right, this moment was suppose to be glorious with the heavens opening and a blonde haired blue eyed woman with a halo, dressed in white fly down as she sang to him. He couldn't believe it, out of anyone it could have been, it was Granger. The Gryfindor bookworm know-it-all, bushy brown hair, large chocolate eyes dressed in Gryfindor clothes. He saw her wriggle uncomfortably under his intense gaze as he forced himself to say something

"Granger, stay behind after class." That was the first and only thing he could think of to say. With a swift turn he retreated to his desk, keeping his head down as he did, sitting promptly and marking any random papers, trying hard not to look at her, however tempting it was to see her face. Eventually he did, he couldn't help himself. That was not his angel. His angel was beautiful, had a shimmering glow about her very presence… that was just Granger, the bookworm from Gryfindor. He was staring hard at her, as if she would magically transform in front of him, and prove to him that she was indeed the keeper of that beautiful voice. But she didn't. She merely looked up at him and crumpled under his stare. He relaxed slightly. That was not his angel. This was Hermione Granger.

He would have to talk to her about this. She had told Potter. He would surely tell everyone. Professor Snape letting Hermione Granger off with no punishment or anything. They would say he was getting slack, losing his touch. Or they would think…. No, no, they would never think that he would ever…. With a student… Or any student would with him….. He stopped himself from thinking. He was letting his worries run wild in his mind. No one would think that about him, he was far too respected. And they would never think he was getting slack, he could say to that that she ran and he couldn't find her. Simple as that. No reason to worry. And Granger would tremble before him in fear. He smiled. Yes, that is what would happen. He carried on marking the papers and waited for the lesson to finish so he could speak to Miss Granger, looking up at her every so often to see if she had transformed.

Before he knew it was time to dismiss the class, watching the classroom slowly empty, the last few people being Potter, Weasley and Granger. Potter had his hand on her shoulder, Ron was throwing random looks at Severus. He smirked.

"Potter, Weasley. Leave. Granger, here." He said. Potter threw him a disgusted look before taking his hand back and slowly walking out of the class with Weasley. Granger turned slowly and walked to the front of the desk that he was sat at. He leaned forward, trying to intimidate her. It worked. She recoiled slightly, folding her arms around her front and fidgeting uncomfortably. There was an uncomfortable silence between them, neither knew what to say.

"Sir, I.."

"I found you Miss Granger, in the Astronomy tower, singing, at 1:00 in the morning." He stopped and let her voice echo in his mind, bringing back his thoughts of her in the tower, disguised as an angel. He looked over her, and saw what he was doing to her. She was so uncomfortable and embarrassed. Normally he would revel in this, knowing that he was causing her so much discomfort, but this time it was different. This was his angel, the woman, no, girl, who had eased his mind and his pain, whom he had tried to find for what seemed like an eternity. He could not do this to her. He stood and walked around the desk and stood next to her, facing her. "Miss Granger, what would you do if you found a student out of bed at silly hours in the morning, a student who had an impeccable record and had never broken any rules… and being caught…" he added quickly, thinking momentarily back to a certain polyjuice incident, "… a student who knew the hours in which they could roam the school and which they could not, then fled when I approach them, hiding from me like a criminal. What would you do Miss Granger?" He said, his voice not faltering once, its tone deathly serious and low. She looked up uncertainly at him, not knowing what he wanted to hear.

"I, I don't know sir." She said quietly. He came closer to her, invading her personal space, trying to see her as the angel that he saw last night.

"Why did you leave your dorm last night? And why of all places did you go to the tower?" She hesitated before answering.

"I couldn't sleep. The tower is where I can think about things." He could see that she was feeling very uncomfortable and intimidated. He was about to speak, but she started before him.

"Please sir, don't tell anyone what I was doing, please, I don't care if you tell everyone that I broke the rules and everything, but please don't tell them that I was there singing, please, don't tell them the songs, I know you don't like me, but don't make me go through the humiliation of that, don't make me sing them for anyone else, you're the only person who's ever heard me sing, oh god don't tell everyone, please sir…" He looked down on her, confused, trying to understand the desperateness of this plea, why she was so bothered about people hearing her sing? He had never seen her like this, he didn't like it, it was unnerving seeing Hermione Granger pleading as if for her life… he wanted to reach out and touch her, to comfort her, he had an indescribable urge to comfort her… She was only a few inches in front of him, he could just reach out and touch her… his angel…

"Miss Granger I am not one to listen to begging, so please desist!" He said, putting on his normal cold, unfeeling front. Her eyes wide, she stopped and looked down at the floor at his feet. He moved slowly away from her, moving back around the desk, trying to decide what to do. He didn't want to punish her but he had to, he could not be seen not to punish her, but at the same time he wanted to comfort her and for her to sing for him. "Miss Granger, why do you sing?" She looked up at him for a moment then looked back down. He could see her churning this question over in her mind, she knew what his next question would be and he knew right away what reaction he would get.

"It helps me sleep."

"What do you sing about?" She paused as she took a breath, fighting back the emotion.

"Please Sir, don't make me answer tha…"

"What do you sing about, Miss Granger?" She paused again.

"My father." She said in a broken voice. He could hear the tears fighting to break through. He knew that he shouldn't force her to talk, but part of him wanted to. He thought of the words. They made sense.

He smiled to himself. He understood now. He couldn't make her deal with her father's death. He of all people could not make her, not now, not after everything that he had done.She was weak from fear and desperation already, he could not break her.

"Miss Granger, you will serve a weeks worth of detentions with me, here, from 7:30 to whenever I decide to let you go. You will start tonight. I will not tell anyone what you were doing in the tower, if anyone asks you were getting something from the tower and you were unfortunate enough to be found by me. What you were doing in the tower is between you, me and Potter. Do you understand and agree?" She looked up, not believing that he was being so comprising and understanding.

"I didn't tell Harry, Sir." She said slowly. Severus was slightly taken aback. He thought that she would have, he was after all her best friend, and from the look of how close they had been before maybe even more…. No! It had nothing to do with him what this girl did with her love life!

"Well he has no need to know, as no-one else does, it is not their business. I shall see you here at 7:30. That is all Miss Granger." She quickly wiped an escaped tear from her cheek, nodded, picked up her bag and quickly left. Severus leant back, amazed by his own compassion, which he had forgotten that he had. He heard Potter questioning her outside as the door shut slowly. He sighed, still pondering over his compassion and feeling for that woman, no, girl. He watched the scene over and over again in his mind, watching her slowly break down, watching as he wore her down, as she tried to control her emotions. He watched her perfectly smooth ivory face betray her feelings as she tried so desperately to disguise them, watching her brown eyes dart to and from him, trying to understand him, something that she would never do, that no-one would ever be able to do, even if she was given the chance…

No! No, no no! Severus thought to himself, no, now that's going too far, he felt pity for the woma... no, girl, that was true, but he saw her as nothing more than that, and he didn't want to. As his next class slowly filled up the classroom, he desperately tried to tell himself that that was true, and for the first time since his youth, he found that he was doubting himself.

I am so sorry that I haven't replied to anyone's reviews, I am just so tired, I want to get to bed! School, acting Steven Berkoff (which is physical and difficult), walked home because I have no money for buses (4 miles)then cadets in the evening and they made me march! Not funny! Will update WITH replies tomorrow! Thank you to everyone who has reviewd so far!