Chapter 10- The All-knowing Portrait

Severus reached his room managing to avoid anyone, including disobedient students, who might be roaming the halls. He prepared more of the potion to take back on his next trip and then went into his rooms and attempted to sleep. It was hard to sleep, however, with all the thoughts going through his head. He had just had one of the strangest evenings of his life. And considering his life, that was saying something indeed. Had anyone told him even a day ago that he would have spent the evening reading to Hermione Granger, he would have told them they were mad. Yet, not only had he done so, but he had even almost enjoyed it.

'Of course, Miss Granger is always more enjoyable when her mouth is shut.' He thought to himself. But he could not shake the thought that somehow they had more in common than he ever would have guessed. It was a strange comfort to him that he was not the only person tortured with memories of the past. This was the thought in his mind as he fell into a restless sleep.

He woke up several hours later with a start. He had not meant to sleep more than an hour or two and he could see the first hint of light on the horizon. The potion would have surely worn off by now. He quickly rose and grabbed the potion on his way out the door.

When he reached the door of the Charms Professor's quarters, he knocked expecting her to answer quickly. He stood waiting several minutes and there was still no response.

'Perhaps she is sleeping,' he thought to himself. Not wanting to disturb her if the potion's effects had lasted longer than expected, he set the vial of potion down outside the door. When she awoke, hopefully she would find it there. He was about to turn to leave when he faintly heard a sound inside. It sounded like a faint whimper, almost like a hurt animal. He paused a moment longer wondering if it had been his imagination when he heard it again, this time louder. He knocked on the door again, this time also trying to turn the door knob to no avail.

"Miss Granger," he called out. "Are you alright?"

There was no response, but he could hear it louder now. She was moaning as if in pain and he could also hear the sound of crying.

"Miss Granger?" he called once more. Again, no response was directed toward him. He paced back and forth for a moment unsure what to do.

"Bloody hell," he muttered to himself. Then he stopped at the door, wand drawn, and hoping she did not have any unusual wards on her door.

"Alohomora," he muttered and he heard the door unlock. He turned the handle and walked through. Finding his way to her bedroom, he could see her tossing and turning on the bed, still clearly asleep, with tears streaming down her face. He walked over to the side of the bed looking down at her.

She was clearly crying and he heard her mumble though her tears, "Don't die Ron! I'm sorry..."

Severus backed away in shock. He had known that this was the source of her bad dreams, but to see it for himself was shocking. He wondered to himself again what kind of person loved so completely that they still mourned after all this time. He gently reached down and shook her.

"Miss Granger," he said nudging her arm.

She jumped awake and looked up at him with a confused look on her face. She reached up with her hand feeling the tears on her face.

"How did you get in here?" she asked harshly, feeling embarrassed that someone, especially Snape, would have seen her like this.

"Alohomora, Professor Granger," he said annoyed at her reaction. "I would have thought you would have known that spell by now. In fact, I would have thought it was your job to teach it."

Hermione suddenly felt embarrassed. Of course that would be how he got in. She had little time to think any more of it, however, as she was hit with a stomach cramp that nearly made her double over with pain.

"I'm sorry," she managed to say, gasping for breath. "You surprised me."

Severus reached down with the vial of potion bring it to her mouth as she appeared incapable of holding it herself at the moment. He held her head in his other hand as if she were a child. He could feel the heat of her fever pressing into his palm.

"Drink."

She swallowed the potion, grimacing at the taste, but better prepared for it this time. She continued to grasp her stomach in pain for several long moments and then her muscles began to ease and she relaxed her position so she was sitting upright.

"Thank you," she finally managed to say and she lay back against the pillows, her hair fanning out around her and her eyes closed. Severus turned around and began to head toward the door.

"How do you deal with it, Professor?" Hermione asked. He turned around and her eyes were now open and looking at him.

"Deal with what?" he asked but he knew the answer.

"The pain. The guilt. Of knowing your actions caused the death of someone you loved."

Her words sent his mind reeling. Of course she could not mean… She had no way of knowing… She meant Dumbledore of course. Yet he suddenly felt that for the first time someone understood him completely.

"I don't believe I am the right person to ask of that, Miss Granger. Unless you plan to spend the next decade locked away in a small house."

Strangely enough this answer seemed to satisfy her and she just nodded.

"You don't have to leave," she said as he put his hand on the door.

"Professor Granger, I do believe I have spent enough time in your quarters for one night."

Hermione blushed at the implication. "Oh. I guess I didn't think of it like that."

Severus looked at her for a long moment. "Get some rest. I will be back later to see if you need anything more."

A couple hours later, Severus found himself sitting in front of the headmistress. She looked at him from across the desk and, much to his relief, the portrait of Dumbledore appeared to be sleeping.

"What brings you to my office at such an early hour, Severus?"

"Professor Granger asked me to come on her behalf. It appears she took a turn for the worse last night and will not be available to teach today. I told her I would let you know."

Minerva looked at him in surprise. She could not imagine the circumstances that would have made Severus Hermione's messenger.

"Thank you for letting me know. May I ask how you came to be the one to bring me this information? I was not aware you and Professor Granger spent much time in each other's company."

"Professor Granger came to me late yesterday for some Pepperup Potion," he said smoothly, completely unfazed about lying. "She said she did not want to bother Poppy as she was so busy with students. I told her I would let you know she wasn't feeling well."

Minerva nodded considering this information and then glanced at a couple papers before looking up at him. "Would it be possible for you to cover her fifth year Slytherin and Hufflepuff class?"

"Of course, Professor."

"Thank you again, Severus. I am glad to see that you and Professor Granger appear to have put the past behind you."

"I just gave her some potion, Professor. It's not as if I'm friends with that bookworm." Severus stalked out of the room, his robes flying behind him. Minerva just gave a small smile. Behind her a set of eyes on a portrait opened.

"He always did hide behind his insults," the portrait said chuckling.

"You are right as usual, Albus." And she returned to her work.

Several hours later Severus found himself leaving the Charms classroom feeling more impressed than he dared to admit. Not only did Professor Granger appear to have excellent control over the classroom (he had only found two opportunities to deduct points), but the fifth years were so far ahead that they seemed to be more ready to take N.E.W.Ts than O.W.Ls. If the class he had just witnessed was any indication, virtually all the students would pass the Charms O.W.L and most of them with an "O".

He climbed several flights of stairs to the seventh floor and walked to the door to her room. This time when he knocked she answered promptly.

It appeared she had just gotten out of the bath; her hair was still wet and hanging limply around her shoulders and she was wearing a pink robe.

"Good morning, Professor Snape," she said with a smile letting him into the room. "Although I suppose good afternoon may be closer."

"You appear to be doing better. Do you need any more potion?" he asked feeling slightly uncomfortable at her lack of clothing. It seemed she never paid attention to how she appeared to anyone else and propriety had never entered her mind as a concern.

"I am feeling better, thank you. I still have some pain now and then, but it appears to be getting better. Unfortunately I'm not sleeping any better, though." She sat in a chair sipping from a cup of tea. "Would you like some?"

"No thank you Professor. The sleeping will get better, but it will take time," he said shifting nervously. "I just came from filling in for one of your fifth year classes."

"Oh," she said suddenly nervous herself. She paused and took a deep breath as if awaiting punishment. "Well, let me have it, Professor. How woefully behind are my students?"

"Actually, they are perhaps the most prepared group of students I have ever come across, although if I catch you repeating that I will firmly deny it." He felt like cursing himself for actually being honest.

Hermione nearly fell over from shock. She had never heard Severus compliment another's teaching before.

"Well, I take that as a very high compliment, indeed, Professor. I have always thought you a very good teacher, if a little unorthodox." She smiled at him hoping he would understand her joke. Instead he looked at his watch.

"I have a class in ten minutes, so if there is nothing else that you require, I will be going."

"No. I think I will manage on my own," she said as he turned to leave. "But perhaps we could speak to each other civilly again sometime?"

"Perhaps," he said, the corners of his mouth turning up into what faintly resembled a smile.

As he walked down to the dungeons it occurred to him that this was only the second professor he had worked with who he both respected as a professional and who seemed to accept him for who he was. Of course, the first time had turned badly to put it politely. This troubling thought stayed with him all the way down to his classroom making him feel uneasy. As he turned down the hall to his room he saw a parchment airplane flying down the hall.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. O'Donnell."

'Much better', he thought to himself as the students groaned and filed into his classroom.