A/N: I just have a couple things to say. Please don't leave me harsh reviews just because you don't like the pairing I've decided to go with. And yeah, Snape is OOC. This is the direction my mind took me, as stated before. However, I will say that it's tagged as a Ron/Hermione story for a reason, I promise. Finding reviews simply bashing the work I've done is very discouraging… Anyway, that's all I'll say. Thank you to those of you who continue reading, reviewing, alerting, and/or putting the story on your favorites. It really means a lot to me! Okay, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own anything you recognize.

Talk is Cheap

Chapter 9

Ron was fuming. He had no intention of going to Flitwick's class. How dare Hermione take up for Snape? He was pacing up and down the corridor near Flitwick's classroom, ranting about what had just happened.

"I can't believe… what is she thinking?… how could she?... so stupid… Harry, what the hell?" he stopped rambling and pacing and turned to face Harry. Harry was leaning against the wall, his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest. He shook his head slowly.

"I have no idea, Ron. I don't know what in Merlin's beard has gotten into her. She just isn't acting like herself. Since when does she take Snape's side over ours?" Harry was speaking quietly, as if Snape or Hermione were about to come around the corner at any moment.

"I don't know. I mean, it's bad enough we're her best friends and she's turning her back on us… but… I'm her boyfriend. Does that not mean ANYTHING to her?" Ron was yelling now, turning the heads of a few first year Ravenclaws walking past. "What are you looking at?!" he roared. The first years jumped and ran around the corner. Ron looked a little sheepish, but only for a second. He turned back to Harry. "After he took advantage of her while she was drunk, she insists on staying down there with him, and yelling at us after all we tried to do was help? It's almost as if she…" Ron trailed off, not wanting to admit out loud what he had just thought.

"Enjoyed it?" Harry asked, afraid of how Ron would respond, "wanted… more?" he continued at barely a whisper. Ron nodded.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. But… why? Things were just starting for us… I thought she was happy. I thought our getting together had gotten her bloody mind off what happened that night," Ron said sorrowfully, not looking at Harry, "did she mean anything she said to me? Any of those kisses?" he looked up at Harry, his blue eyes looking strangely shiny. Harry clapped Ron on the shoulder.

"Sure she did, mate. Hermione's a smart girl, an honest girl… she's obviously just… going through something right now, and it's quite apparent that she doesn't want our help sorting it out," Harry said, squeezing Ron on the shoulder, "but I can guarantee she never would have told you she liked you if she didn't mean it. And blimey, you'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to see the way she's felt about you since first year. Everyone knows it," Harry said, smiling. This made Ron feel better.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I mean, she probably just didn't want us to humiliate Snape… she does tend to care about people even when they don't care about her," Ron said truthfully.

"That's true. Come on, let's go have a butterbeer, I have some in the dormitory. Professor Flitwick will just have to do without our presence today," Harry said, turning to go toward the Fat Lady's portrait. Ron nodded and followed Harry, and for the moment, was convinced that Hermione just stayed in the dungeons with Snape because she felt guilty about the drunken escapade in the hall, and she was so angry with him and Harry because they had meddled in something they shouldn't have been meddling in. They were good at doing that.

AAAA

Hermione stood in the corner of the dungeon, too ashamed to look Snape in the face. How could Ron and Harry do such a thing? Didn't they know she could take care of herself? Yeah, right fine job you're doing too, Hermione. Do you not realize the mess you've gotten yourself into? Hermione was so lost in thought that she jumped off both feet when she felt Snape's hand on her shoulder. She turned around to face him.

"Professor… I-I- don't know what t-to say," she stammered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Hermione. Please. Don't you think you can call me Severus by now?" he said unexpectedly, wiping the single tear from her face with the pad of his thumb. This made her smile in spite of herself.

"Severus… I still… I still don't know how to tell you how sorry I am," she said, walking out from under his grip, striding over to his desk and picking up a quill just to have something in her hands. He walked over to her, took the quill from her hands and laid it on the desk. He took her hands in his.

"Hermione, you don't have to be sorry. You didn't tell Potter and Weasley to come down here and do what they did. That was their own choice," Snape said firmly.

"Then… you believe me? You know I didn't tell them to do it?" she said disbelievingly, tightening her grip on his hands.

"But of course, after what happened last night, I knew you wouldn't do such a thing," he responded. Hermione's eyes widened. Last night. Snape looked at her questioningly.

"Last night… Severus, I-I-, oh, last night might've been a mistake," she said, taking her hands from his once again. His features hardened immediately.

"A mistake? What do you mean, a mistake? A lapse of bad judgment, an accident, what do you mean, a mistake?" he said, crossing his arms. Hermione just stood there, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Severus, you know—you know I came down here last night to get those feelings out of my mind. You know I didn't come down here to continue what we started!" She was sobbing now, not even bothering to wipe her tears. "It was almost like I was in another state of mind… I didn't really want—Oh.. Oh my God," she said in a whisper, looking into his dark eyes. "You wouldn't have… Y-you couldn't have," she said in a shocked voice, backing away from him. Snape reached out to her but she wouldn't let him touch her. "You forced me to feel those things! You put some kind of spell on me last night!" she said, her voice rising with every word.

He didn't even bother to argue. "Hermione, I just wanted—I just wanted to feel that way again… when… " he stopped talking, his thoughts drifting back into the recesses of his memory…

"Lily, I-I love you. I want to be with you. Can't you see that?"

"Oh Severus… I love you too," his heart rose, "but not that way."

His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. She had turned him down. He turned away from her and started to run.

"Severus! Please! Wait!" she screamed, running after him.

"What? Feel what way?" Hermione pressed, beginning to comprehend exactly what was going on.

"Nothing," Snape said, turning away from her. She stepped toward him cautiously and put her hand gently on his arm, no longer afraid of what she might feel, now that she knew he had been behind the whole thing. He jerked his arm out of her touch and whirled around to face her. "Miss Granger, if you will kindly leave my classroom," he said in that same cold voice she had heard for the past six years. She shook her head, confused.

"But sir, you can't just kick me—"

"Do not tell me what I can and cannot do. I said, OUT!" he yelled, obviously hurt, embarrassed, and angry.

Hermione could do nothing but obey. She nodded curtly and left the room quickly.

Snape's shoulders crumpled. He sank into a seat on the first row and hid his face in his hands. What have I done?

AAAA

Hermione stood outside the door, stunned. What had just happened? She was concerned about Snape, this was true, but what did this mean? She didn't really feel those feelings when he kissed her last night? It was merely the spell he had on her? She instantly went on a roller coaster of emotions. She felt worried for Snape, relieved at her discovery, then completely and totally enraged at what he had done. She couldn't believe it! And then he kicked her out without even having the nerve to tell her why he did it. She then remembered her anger with Ron and Harry. Even if she was now angry with Snape too, her anger with them did not fade. She narrowed her eyes and turned to the direction of the Gryffindor common room. Those boys were not going to know what hit them. She had never been so angry in her entire life. Snape could wait; Ron and Harry were going to suffer the consequences first.

AAAA

Harry and Ron were sitting in the common room, halfheartedly playing a game of Wizard's chess and sipping on butterbeers. Neither were speaking, but they were both wondering the same thing: where is Hermione? As if she were reading their minds, she stalked through the portrait hole.

"Oh, perfectly relaxed, I see? Enjoying a nice game of chess and savoring a delicious butterbeer? Not even worrying a bit about what you've just done?" she growled, practically running over to where they were sitting.

"No, Hermione, we were just trying to—" Ron attempted to speak, standing up in front of her.

"No, Ronald. I don't want to hear it. You're going to listen to ME now," she snarled, drawing her wand and pushing Ron back into his chair. Harry just stared at Hermione, wondering what she would do next.

"Do you have something to say, Mr. Potter?" she asked, turning her wand on him. He gulped and shook his head vigorously.

"Good. Now keep your mouths closed and listen to what I have to say," she said firmly, towering over them like a werewolf.

TBC

So? Not too bad of a cliffy since I left y'all hanging pretty bad last time. PLEASE review! If you can take time to read it, add it to your favorites or whatnot, you can take a couple of seconds to tell me what you think! Thanks guys! Love love!