Disclaimer's in the first chapter folks.

This is when I introduce Snape into the picture. it pretty much clears the confusion on whether ro not Snape is good or bad. at least i hope it does!

please R/R

Chapter 4

Harry was annoyed.

For the fourth night in a row, he could not get a wink of sleep. What kept him awake was worse than the dreams about death, evil, and the poopster also known as Voldemort. No, Harry could very well deal with naughty Death Eaters after his bum, but he could not deal with his best friend.

Harry Potter was suffering from not-so-friendly dreams about his best friend. Not Ron of course…perhaps he could have chalked a wicked dream about Ron to an evil scheme of Voldemort's to drive him over the bend, but Hermione was just unbearable.

"Bloody girl…with her bloody nice smelling mousy brown hair…and chocolate eyes…and beautiful smile…oh bloody hell!

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Severus Snape knocked the boiling caldron over. It was the fifth batch of See Again potion that he had brewed; and the fifth batch that he had ruined.

He mumbled to himself as he hastily took a quill its container and hastily wrote ingredients for a new mixture. He had to think of a way to cure the Granger girl, had to undo what he never meant to do in the first place.

When he had cursed that bloody book, he had only meant for it to be temporary. The blinding curse was never meant for that Potter's hand. He had planned and calculated for James Potter to have the book.

It had taken Severus three long months, but he had devised a spell that would temporary blind the victim. However, the elder Potter had not taken his book when he dropped it into the Gryffindor locker room. It had fallen out of his bag (a bag that Potter and Black had spelled to rip) and was taken by the ground's keeper to the potion's classroom.

The only explanation that Severus could think of as to why the ground's keeper did not fall victim to the curse was that he did not insult the book…and did not touch it with his bare hands at any time. Ground's Keeper Runker was never seen without his precious dragon hide gloves.

With all those wondrous answers and quick fixes for potions, the younger Potter must have treasured the Potions book like his bloody broom. Only the annoying Granger child would insult a book that was responsible for her second standing in the Potions class.

Of course, since it had taken him three bloody months to devise and modify the original curse, Severus had opted to make the cure in the form of a potion. Spell weaving and other charms had always been Lily's area of expertise.

'I'll fix this if it's the last bloody thing I do…I can't lose Dumbledore's trust now.'

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"Hermione? What are you doing down here? How did you get down here!" The cause of Harry's insomnia was sitting primly in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

When Hermione turned around, Harry gasped at what a wonderful sight she made. Her soft brown curls, as wild as ever, were framed by the fire light and her pale face shimmered with tear streaks.

"I was in bed, ready to fall asleep when I heard Lavender and Padma talking about what they wanted to do on the next Hogsmead visit. They both thought I was asleep, but I wasn't Harry." Hermione let out a small sob, her voice cracking a little. "They were talking about going to Fred and George's new shop and buying a love potion to trick Ron with; and they wanted to stop by Matilda's to see the new robe designs."

Hermione dissolved into more sobs and Harry could do nothing but run to her side. Gently, he awkwardly put his arms around her, cradling her head against his shoulders. He was never good with crying girls, but the growing caveman voice in Harry's head kept a running mantra of 'Mione crying, someone must die…grunt'.

"I kept- I kept thinking that I wanted to do the same things. But in my mind I kept seeing myself in the joke shop, bumping into everything and creating a huge mess. I imagined myself at the bookstore and all I could see were dozens of precious books falling over and my tripping over priceless tomes."

Harry tightened his hold on his best friend as she clutched his shirt and cried harder. It was then that Harry realized that Hermione had never truly mourned the loss of her sight. She had cried the first few days, and then had gone straight to learning how to adapt. But Hermione had never reconciled with the fact that she could not see anymore.

Of course, it was at this time that Harry's all consuming guilt complex tackled him. The reason she could not see was now holding her tightly, not wanting to let her go. She was supposed to be his friend, only of the only true ones he had. Hermione never saw him as "The-Boy-with-the-Scar". She saw him as Harry, just Harry. And this was how her repaid her friendship, by robbing her of her sight.

"I'm sorry Hermione…Merlin I'm so sorry. If I had listened to you about the book, this never would have happened. It should be me Hermione. I should be the blind one…I should have taken on the curse…God I'm so sorry."

Sniffling, Hermione did something that he did not expect. With a teary determined look, Hermione Granger slapped a very surprised Harry Potter in the region she thought was the cheek.

Holding his now reddening face, Harry look astonished as Hermione took another swing. Fortunately, Harry's seeker skills anticipated the assault before it even happened. A part of him figured he deserved her punishment, deserved more than just a couple of hard slaps. But the best friend side of him knew that Hermione would never lay a hand on him in punishment…not when she knew how the Dursleys had treated him.

"Don't you dare ever say a thing like that again Potter."

Well shit. Hermione never called him by only his surname. Actually, the only time he could ever remember her calling him Potter was in a mischievous tone. This was right before she launched herself at him for a victory hug. It was the best Gryffindor Quidditch winning in his life.

"Harry, I might hate not being able to see. I hate having to depend on others. I can't stand the snickers through the halls. But not once since this started did I ever, ever blame you. I know you Harry Potter. I know you better than you know yourself at times. If at any time you thought that that book could do anyone serious harm, you would never have kept it."

For the second time that day, Harry found himself with a handful of Hermione Granger. Squeezing his eyes shut, Harry tightened his hold on her. Gently, he rocked both of them back and forth. He must have rocked them for hours, but he couldn't do anything else but hold her.

It was hours later, when the fire had died down to a gentle glimmer, when Harry realized that Hermione was asleep. He should have stood up and carried her to the couch; should have made her comfortable and stood watch over her. However, all he could do was keep holding her. Hold her and maybe never let her go.

So when Ginny Weasley gently walked down from the girl's dormitory in the early morning to retrieve her Transfiguration book; that was what she saw. She saw the young man that she was so sure was in love with her, holding another woman in his arms. Saw him cling to her as if his life depended on it, saw him look at her as if she held all the answers in the world.

It was then that Ginny Weasley had her heart broken for the very first time. Heard it shatter into a million pieces, watched as those pieces shrivel up until they turned to dust. And for some reason, she was immensely glad for it. He was in love, so in love that he probably did not realize it. Ginny was able to see it, see it for what it was and finally able to let go.

"It's about time you two." Ginny whispered under her breath. She turned around and walked up the stairs, her Transfiguration book could wait.