In the Darkness

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Chapter 31

Severus awoke early on Tuesday morning, his arm wrapped protectively around the young woman that was laid facing him. She was sleeping soundly; her hair was spread over the pillow wildly in a way that he knew she would hate. He smiled at the thought of her distain knowing that he has seen her like that. Her perfect lips were just parted enough so that her breath could just be heard as it escaped over them and her skin seemed to just glow. She was perfect. His angel. He put his head back down atop of hers and felt her move against his chest as she began to awake. She opened her eyes and saw the expanse of his chest in front of her and smiled. She lifted her head to look at the man before her and grinned as she saw him apparently sleeping. She lifted her whole form to rise up and reach his lips with a little kiss. He couldn't stop himself smiling before he opened his eyes.

"You just couldn't keep your hands off me…" He mumbled into her lips.

"No I could not…" She whispered back. He opened his eyes and looked at her before flipping her back over so that she was underneath him again. "I love the way you look from up there…" She smiled at him.

"Hm, I must say that you look exceptional from this view as well." He said before planting a kiss on her stomach and resting his head there.

"Severus, what time is it?" She asked.

"It is…. 9:02 to be exact…"

"Ah. Just wondering. OH SHITE!" She leapt up, causing Severus's head to be pushed away from her rather sharply. "It's Tuesday! I'm late… we've missed breakfast… I'm supposed to be in Transfiguration…" Hermione rushed around trying desperately to find her clothes. They weren't even her school clothes… she would have to rush back up to her dorm and get changed… "Damn it! What am I going to say? They know that I wasn't back at the dorm… CRAP! Don't you have a lesson now?"

"Luckily I don't have a first lesson on a Tuesday." He replied simply.

"What am I going to say?" She cried as she began to get dressed, putting the straps of her bra over her shoulders before picking up her top and hurriedly putting it on. "Oh god, what am I going to say? They will all ask… I am never late!"

"Hermione!" She hadn't realised that Severus was stood up and had in fact walked close to her, grabbing her by her shoulders. "Tell everyone that you slept in."

"But Harry…"

"Harry is the only person who knows any different. Tell him that you fell asleep and that you awoke on the desk with a cover over you. He won't question it. Trust me." He smiled slightly. She looked over his naked body.

"You really are a beautiful man…"

"Pardon?"

"You heard me…"

"Beautiful? Are you calling me beautiful?"

"Yes I am…"

"I cannot believe that you just called me beautiful. Any compliment is a shock, however handsome or attractive would have sounded better…"

"Ha! Well, to me, you are all of those! Even more so when you are naked first thing in the morning…" She grinned as he let go of her.

"You had better leave now or else I doubt I will be able to let you leave."

"You are the one that should watch your back… I will be tempted to jump on you every time I see you…"

They parted with a small kiss and as Hermione rushed back up to her dorm she began to worry again about what everyone would say when she walked in late into class. She decided that it would be best if she just missed Transfiguration altogether and just went straight to Muggle Studies. So she sat in her dorm and smiled to herself in the mirror like some kind of crazy person.

She went to Muggle Studies, and no-one even asked where she was. It was only at lunch that the questions were fired.

"Hey Hermione, where've you been?"

"Yeah, we missed you this morning!"

"Sorry guys, I got up late and felt kinda ill so I went straight to the Hospital Wing to get something."

"Why what was wrong?" Ron asked, concerned. He was obviously trying to sound more attentive after what she had said to him a few days earlier. She smiled.

"Women's problems." Ron backed off with a small "oh" noise and continued to eat his lunch. Harry just looked at her knowingly, though she ignored it.

"Hm, where's Snape? He wasn't here at breakfast this morning…"

"Good. I don't want that greasy bastard watching me while I eat my food…" Harry began.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed angrily. He just smiled. She realised what he was doing. He knew that something had happened because he knew that she was defending him in a way that she wouldn't normally do. She re-evaluated. "Harry don't say that, he might be hurt…" She said as his smile became even broader.

As if it was timed the doors to the Great Hall swung open and Snape entered through them dramatically. He strode up to the teachers table, past all the students, not even glancing sideways. Hermione tried not to look as he passed her but she couldn't help it. As he sat at his usual spot at the staff table he too glanced upwards at her, and there was even the very faintest smile that appeared on his lips for less than a second. Quickly he averted his eyes and stared coldly at a first year Hufflepuff who was being slightly too loud, whom was silenced by the icy glare that he received. Hermione couldn't help but smile

"Earth to Hermione!" Lavender said.

"What?" She replied, turning back around to face her friends.

"Wait, am I on glue or did you just stare at Snape the whole way as he walked in?" Ron, Ginny, Lavender and Harry were all looking intently at her.

"What? I was just daydreaming that's all… nothing more!" She said, feeling herself begin to blush. Why couldn't she lie about this like she normally could?

"AH! Herm, you're blushing! You fancy Snape! HA HA! Oh My God!" Lavender started singing.

"Herm, you don't fancy Snape do you?" Ron asked, not wanting it to be true.

"No! I do not fancy Snape you morons!" She replied.

"You fancy Snape, you fancy Snape!" Lavender sung whilst laughing.

"I DO NOT!" She shouted angrily.

"Hermione loves Snape!" Lavender said, turning to Dean who was sat next to her.

"Hermione, do you fancy Snape?" he asked.

"For fucks sake I do not fancy him!" Hermione said. She was really getting angry, how dare they ask her things like that!

"You want his babies don't you? I bet you were getting off over what we were saying about his hands touching you all over the other week… Were you jealous when I joked about shagging him Herm?" Lavender laughed.

"Shut your mouth Lavender." Hermione threatened. How dare she speak about Severus like that! She had no idea! Hermione could feel her blood boil every time Lavender opened her fat stupid mouth.

"What?" Lavender said in disbelief. The whole table seemed to be looking at the group now, not overally knowing what was going on.

"I said shut your mouth Lavender." She said again.

"What's your problem?"

"My problem is that I don't like people accusing me of things that aren't true and saying it so loud that by fourth lesson the whole school will think that I am in love with Professor fucking Snape!"

"Jesus Hermione calm down, I was only joking…" Lavender began.

"Yeah, well I'm not exactly laughing and I don't see anyone else laughing either. So think before you 'joke' next time."

"What, you don't want people to know that you want Snape's sexy, scrawny body?" Lavender taunted. She had got over the shock of having Hermione Granger have a go at her and was becoming the mouthy young woman that she usually was.

"I swear to God Lavender shut your fucking mouth."

"Or you'll do what?"

"Or I'll come over to that side and shut it for you." That really shocked everyone. Everyone just sat and stared at Hermione. They had never seen her so aggressive. "You don't know what it does when you say shit like to people."

"Hermione, its ok, I'm not bothered." Harry said suddenly.

"What?" Hermione snapped.

"I said that I'm not bothered. I know that it's not true and that you've only got eyes for me. So if they want to believe that you fancy Snape, hm, well let them!"

"Wait, wait a minute…" Lavender began.

"Harry, what the hell?" Ron said.

"Harry what are you talking about?" Hermione snapped again.

"It's ok Hermione; I think that we have hidden it for long enough now."

"Harry, mate, you aren't…"

"Yes Ron. Me and Hermione have been seeing each other for the past few months." There was a dramatic gasp from the whole Gryffindor table.

"What?"

"How…"

"I don't understand…"

"Seriously?

"Man I knew they were close… we should have seen it!"

"We didn't tell anyone because we didn't know how you would react. Sorry guys!" Harry smile. Hermione was dumbfounded. What the hell was he talking about? "At first I was really jealous, but now I'm not. Lavender, that's why Hermione had a go at you, because at one point I would have taken what you were saying seriously and had a go at her later. But now I know that she only likes me."

"Oh." Was all that Lavender said.

"You two are seriously seeing each other?"

"Yeah. Sorry mate, keep your hands off she's taken!" Harry joked, putting his arm around a completely shocked Hermione.

"Well, well congratulations! I suppose it's been long over due!" Dean piped.

"Now I can finally do this in public." And with that Harry leaned in and kissed Hermione gently on the lips. A few people laughed, others gasped, but most were too shocked to say anything. Hermione was in a state of shock herself, what the hell was he doing? He was kissing her in the middle of the Great Hall; everyone was looking at them now!

Everyone.

Severus!

She pulled away and spun around to see Severus staring at the pair, that damn unreadable expression on his face. He just stared at her. As Harry took his arm off Hermione's shoulders and took her hand in his own, Severus got up and walked down past them and stormed out of the Great Hall. It took every ounce of her self control not to run after him.

She didn't hear Harry tell her to get up. Didn't hear him tell the rest of them that they were going to sneak off together. She felt him pull her from her seat, as if it wasn't actually her body. Felt him pull her through the Great Hall, through those doors.

He had seen him kiss her. He would think that she was going out with him or something! She didn't want to kiss anyone else. She only ever wanted to kiss him! Her mind raced through all the things that he would say to her... until Harry's voice pulled her back from her thoughts. She realised that she was against a wall and that he was stood close to her. It must have been on the way to the dungeons, the corridor was quite dark given the time of day.

"Hermione what the fuck were you thinking?"

"What? W, what was I thinking?"

"Yes! Don't make it too obvious will you about Snape! Jesus H Christ!"

"Harry, do you know what you have done!"

"Yes I do! I have saved your fucking ass is what I've done!"

"No you haven't! You had no right to do that in there! You have no idea of what you have done!" She shouted.

"Hermione, listen to me because I am only going to say this once. All of those things that you have done with Snape, all those things that I don't know, they'll get you killed if anyone ever comes to know them. I don't ever want to know about what has happened, but you had better realise this. He is a death eater. I don't care if he's a spy or not, he is a death eater. Voldemort is his master. I am the guy that Voldemort wants. Do the maths. You are already putting yourself in enough danger being friends with me, let alone being connected with a death eater!"

"Harry, I…"

"What I have done for you might even save your ass. What would happen if Malfoy heard that you liked Snape? He might be a little shit but he isn't stupid, he will tell his father who will tell Voldemort… Now if everyone thinks that you and I are going out then that puts Snape out of the picture. I couldn't give a damn how that makes him feel, at least that makes you safer."

"I, I…"

"There is a war coming Hermione. And you are putting yourself right smack fucking bang in the middle of it. End all relations with Snape and keep yourself safe. You are my girlfriend to anyone who asks. We have been dating for a few months, to be precise from Easter. Simple as." Harry pulled away from her and began to walk back in the direction of the Great Hall. Hermione had no idea what to say. All these feelings. Her head was a fuzzy scribble of thoughts. She didn't want to even contemplate it, but she knew that Harry had a valid point. Now everyone would think that she and Harry were dating. Even Snape.

Hermione couldn't stop the tears from flowing. She pulled herself from the wall and began the what seemed to be the longest walk down to the dungeons she had ever walked.

Ok, thank you guys so much for the level of response that I got from the last chapter! I was really nervous about it! Just to clear it up, yes I am 18! Lol!

Just a few mentions really, thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, esp Snape-is-da-bomb, Leology, Sunlight Girl, Alenor, atvgirl1288, KikiLala, icerelief2004, Ikaru Sentinal, mylovetheswamprat, TheWolfInTheShadows aka Alchemelia, saraH, superspunky7, Serendipity-England-1922… and everyone else! Sorry I have not replied personnally, I am off work all this week so I swear I will get back to most of you!

Akasha Ravensong- You prove an excellent point! I will make mention of that later one, thank you for pointing that out!