Lying to Myself
Chapter Four – the hole
"Ten points from Gryffindor Miss Granger," came the annoyed voice of Hermione's professor. She could see him cross his arms in distaste at his surroundings, not to mention his company.
The groggy feeling evaporated when she heard his words and her eyes nearly crossed wither anger. "For what?!" she seethed, not bothering to downplay any of her emotions, loosing more points just did not matter to her right now.
"For bringing me into such a predicament," he replied calmly, apparently unaware of the young woman's wrath.
Hermione was seeing red. What did he mean 'for bringing HIM into such a predicament'?! She gave a quick assessment of the dirty pit she was in. Yup, she was definitely there too – same predicament. It wasn't even as if this was her fault either. If he hadn't of barreled into her and sent them both tumbling they wouldn't even be in here. Oh yes, this 'predicament' had "Snape's fault" written all over it.
"I suggest, Miss Granger, that you use you head, and make use of your wand. I have classes to teach in the morning," he sneered, and Hermione blushed, embarrassed by the obvious statement. She knew her wand lay somewhere in the Gryffindor common room, and she silently cursed Harry and Ron for their childish games.
"I uhm, I don't have it," she stammered, and made a silent note to beat up her two immature male comrades once she made it out of this hellhole. A rather literal statement really, what with her being in a hole, along with someone who very well matched the criteria to become the devil, all he needed was the pitchfork and tail.
"Insolent girl, don't you know always to carry your wand with you?!" he spat harshly, before adding, "Another ten points from Gryffindor."
Hermione fought the urge to throw something at him. Today she was making somewhat of a hit list, and she already had three contestants to add to it. Now all she had to do was pick who came first. 'Eenie meenie minie –'
"Well, where is it then?" he questioned, not forgetting to add a little malice into the line.
'mo, catch the Slytherin by the toe…Oh yes,' Hermione thought to herself. 'We can't forget Malfoy.'
Snape's patience was short, and he grunted expectantly when the student did not immediately answer. Hermione continued to play her inane little game, reaching the end of it slowly.
'My mother says to pick the very best one and you…are…it.' Her eyes fell on Snape and she formed a small smile. 'Oh yah, he's going down.' It was only then that she realized that he had not made a move to his own wand.
"And where is your wand professor?" she asked innocently, smiling sweetly.
"Do not avoid my questions, Miss Granger. Another ten points from-"
"You don't have it, do you?" she was astonished. What nerve of the man to reprimand her for something he didn't have either! Her fingers toyed with a small rock on the ground as she shot him a very menacing glare. Despite the darkness that had fallen, Severus Snape could still see her features outlined by the moonlight. Her pointing out this small detail only served to fuel his anger.
"I dropped it, Miss Granger," he sneered, "when I averted you from being trampled by that hippogriff. So don't try to lecture me about something only you would do."
"What hippogriff?" Hermione asked, forgetting about her anger, confusion taking over.
"The one that was charging you, yet you were too inane to even notice it."
'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine….ten.' No, she was still going to murder the man. 'Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…oh to heck with it.' She threw the rock at him, uncaring of the consequences. The rock bounced off the crown of his head and the young Gryffindor had to cough back a laugh. The look on her professor's face made it even better.
"Miss Granger!" he roared. "What do you think – Thirty-five points from Gryffindor!"
Hermione continued to giggle as she nodded her head. Thirty-five may not have been a fair trade in her mind, but it was definitely worth it! Forcing her smile into a straight line, she sobered up her giggly state.
"So how might we get out professor?" she asked, as if nothing had just happened. The professor grumbled in mild response, and shook his head, not the least amused.
"We wait," he stated matter-of-factly, and made sure to cast an after glare in her direction.
'Oy, he's touchy.' She refused to acknowledge the fact that she was stuck here until someone found them. Them…she was stuck in this hole for who knows how long with none other than her potions professor. She let out an audible groan. She needed to get out! What were they to do in here, play chess?! Highly, she doubted that.
"And in the mean time..?" she trailed off, leaving the question open for insightful answers – not that she gave the professor that much credit.
The man shrugged his shoulders. What could they do? Neither had a wand. He heard the young woman shiver and wrap her thin summer cloak around herself. He could care less how cold she felt. His dungeon's temperature was not far varied from what he was experiencing now, and he hardly noticed the chill that the damp walls were emanating. He would have left her to her own devices, to freeze, (he really could care less) but the Headmaster would have something to say about that. Severus nodded to himself. The Headmaster, for that matter, would care.
Hermione did the only thing she knew she could to. Standing, looking up to the mouth of the hole she started to call for help.
Grumbling to himself, Snape got up and walked around the small tavern like hole. Around the corner at the back, everything was less damp, and the walls were made of solid rock. Walking back to the "main room", the professor gathered some of the wood, leaves, twigs and moss that had fallen in with them. He made sure to leave the majority of it for later use.
Hermione's calls didn't seem to help her any, and the echoing of her loud yelling was beginning to hurt her ears. She stopped, resolved that she would scream all day tomorrow if she had to. No one would be walking around in the Forbidden Forest this late anyway.
In the second room, Snape began to position the gathered items, and Hermione got up to peer around the corner to see exactly what he was doing. The only part she could make out was his pale face and hands. The rest of him was already clad in black and camouflaged with the dark nicely. She could see that he cupped something in each of his hand and began to hit them together. She then knew that he had found flint stones somewhere in here. Where; she couldn't fathom. Small sparks flew off the stones and onto the small pile, causing it to ignite, nursing the small, fragile flame.
The dancing orange light illuminated the area around the professor, showing him to be sitting in front of the burning pile cross-legged. Hermione immediately thought of what a strange sight it was, his unblemished face sported smears of dirt, and his hair was tousled and contained several species of plant life. She had never seen the potions master in such a state. The head girl walked up and crouched before the flames heat, spreading her hands before the orange glow. Her instinct to stay warm over took any stubborn feelings towards the man, and soon she found herself warming up quite nicely.
"Thank-you," Hermione whispered sheepishly, consciously not looking over at the man across from her. The professor just scrunched his nose at the word, apparently unaccustomed to such a term. The girl never expected a reply, but gave an annoyed huff when he remained neglectful of her presence.
Darkness had now fallen, and Hermione knew that the hour was well past her usual curfew and she would be expected to be at Hogwarts soon. Removing her school robes, the young woman laid them on the ground in front of the flickering flame, using them as a thin mat to sleep on. A heavy yawn parted her lips, and she realized just how tired she really was.
"Good night, Professor," Hermione yawned, stretching her arms out before lying down on the lumpy ground. Since they were obviously stuck there tonight, she might as well make the best of it. Closing her eyes against the glistening light, Hermione fell asleep almost immediately.
The professor did not fall asleep so fast. He did not want the flame to die out and he knew that if both of them slept and left the small fire to its own devices it would quickly die out. He was used to long nights unable to sleep, so staying up to man the fire did not bother him much. What bothered him was the idea of being stuck in this hole with the young Gryffindor. He wanted out. Now. Yet as much as he willed himself to be back in his quarters, sitting in his small living room reading a book, he was still there. He could hear an owl hooting, and the wind blowing over the hole's opening – like blowing over a bottle cap.
Slowly, Severus' eye lids became heavy and sleep overcame him. It wasn't long after that the flame followed suit and both bodies laid in their respective corners, asleep in the dark.
0o0o0o0
The first thing the young Gryffindor noticed when she woke up that morning was her back. Pain shot through her muscles when she made any move and she let out a low groan when she rolled over to sit up. Realizing the professor laid on the other side of the room against the wall asleep, the girl ceased her noises immediately. The last thing she wanted to do was wake him up. It was bad enough when it was the middle of the day, she did not want to find out if he was a morning person.
Light was pouring through the entrance way above, and Hermione had to squint her eyes when she entered the other section of the hole. It was scary how clean the area seemed for a hole. Except for the debris that caved in with the professor and her, the area was just as tidy as what she would expect the Slytherin common room to be. Behind her, Hermione heard some rustling, and she turned around to see the potions master stand up from his position leaning against the wall of the hole.
Not bothering to wish her professor a good morning, Hermione looked back up to the entrance of the pit. A tree lay over the opening, its branches spread wide as to let light in. It covered the hole just enough as to keep any passerby unaware of the hole's entrance, and unaware of them. Up with the tree, hanging on a branch by its strap was Hermione's bag, sticking out like a sore thumb.
The bright pink instantly caught Snape's eye and he cringed at the atrocious… thing. It hung from a wide, metallic pink strap which attached to what almost looked like the belt holes of a pair of pants. A button fastened the top shut and a zipper led way to two pockets. He couldn't quite tell from the distance but he was fairly sure the bag was made from leather. To him, it looked like a pair of pants with the legs missing. He cringed at the sort of fashions girls got themselves into. He couldn't help but notice how ecstatic Miss Granger was to see it.
"My bag!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping up and down as if she could possibly reach it if she jumped high enough. Settling down, Hermione looked around the cavern's floor. She spotted the rock she used last night to hit her professor with and picked it up. Bringing her arm back she threw the rock up at the bag, hoping to give it the push it needed to get off the branch and fall into the hole with her. The rock did not even make it half way. After many futile throws, Hermione collapsed on the floor, mumbling.
"I can't do it," she announced in a huff, throwing the rock at her feet.
"How is a hideous bag of books going to help us get out of here anyway?" Snape barked, looking disdainfully at the hanging bag.
"Well first of all," Hermione began, in a tone she would not dared have used on her professor in the past, "in that bag contains Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and I know that's not a four course meal, but it's something. Not to mention we can use my spare scrolls as fuel for the fire. And I'm sure we can find use for the other things it has in it."
Snape took two steps forward, bent over and picked up the rock that lay at Hermione's feet. Throwing it high into the air, the rock hit the bag which started to swing on its branch. Picking up the rock again the professor threw it back up again, watching it make contact with the bag and fall at his feet once again. The bag swung even more now, and the branch bobbed with its weight. Throwing the stone one more time, Snape watched it make contact once more, the bag started to swing and creep down the bobbing branch. Picking the rock back up, ready to throw it for the last time to get the bag down, Snape looked at Hermione with a cocky smile on his face.
Which probably wasn't a good idea.
The bag didn't need anymore persuasion from the professor to come down, and as his attention was focused on the young frizzy haired Gryffindor, the bag released itself from the branche's hold and fell, right on top of the cocky professor.
Hermione burst out laughing, holding her stomach, unable to control the guffaws that erupted from her throat. Snape, a little dizzy, did not appreciate her loud display and began rummaging through the bag, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill with a bottle of orange ink.
"Get out of my pants!" Hermione ordered, realizing that he was going through her stuff.
Snape's head shot to his side to look at his student, wide-eyed.
"I am not, and will not ever be 'in your pants', Miss Granger," Snape assured her, still shocked by the accusation. He sat down across from her, leaning his back again the wall and rested the parchment again his legs. Taking up the quill he dipped it in the orange ink.
"I hope you weren't planning on writing papers in this ghastly colour."
Hermione picked up her bag and rested it on her lap, protectively. Looking over at her professor, she watched him write some things down before looking up, tapping his jaw with the feather of her quill and write some more.
"These are my things professor," Hermione stated, "and I would appreciate if you asked permission before taking anything out of here."
Snape looked up at the girl, shook his head and continued to write. His lack of acknowledgement to her wishes angered her, but she was more curious as to what he was doing.
"What are you writing anyway?" she asked.
"Keeping a tally, Miss Granger, of all the points I'm taking away from you. So far I have one hundred for getting me into this mess, thirty five for throwing that rock at me, twenty for you're display of giddiness at me getting your bag down for you and ten for accusing me of going 'in your pants'."
Hermione rolled her eyes
"That will be another ten points," Snape informed as he jotted down more on the paper in front of him.
"I did not get us into this hole professor. And I'm just used to referring to this…bag as my pants, it's just came out wrong."
"Yes, well was it just me or didn't you say you had some sustenance of some sort lying in wait in there."
Hermione went into the back pocket of her…bag and pulled out a large paper bag full of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"Ron gave them to me as a gift from Hogsmead when I missed going last week. I've never really liked them, too risky, but I guess it's all we've got right now." Hermione opened the bag and reached in pulling out a few, each a different colour. Leaning over she tried to toss the bag of beans to Snape but he didn't uncross his arms to catch it. He looked down at it with disdain and curled his lip.
"Atleast if I eat a worm, I know it will taste like a worm. For all I know I will get a worm flavored bean and I was better off just eating that worm sticking out of the dirt over there." Snape used his leg to push the bag aside and looked at the worm.
"That's true," Hermione was surprised to find herself agreeing with the man, then thought better of it. "But at least I have the chance to tasting something good when I eat a bean. A worm has no room for improvement." Popping a bean in her mouth, Hermione hesitantly chewed it. It just so happened to be tree bark flavored.
The head girl knew Snape wasn't going to ask, but was dying to know what flavor she had just popped in her mouth. Deciding that if he wanted to know, he would have to ask, Hermione ate another one, pretending like the snot flavored bean tasted more like a pear. The third one she didn't have to pretend for though, it was chocolate coffee bean flavored – her favorite.
Snape looked at her expectantly but Hermione played dumb, asking him what it was he wanted.
"Well…?" he asked, trailing off, leaving her to respond.
"Well what?" she asked, smiling sweetly.
"Well what flavor?" Snape huffed, jotting down some numerals on his paper. Hermione sighed, wondering how many points he was taking away from her house.
"The one I just ate was chocolate covered coffee bean," Hermione told him, looking at the paper, hoping he'd scribble off the points he had just taken away.
Severus raised a brow and picked up the bag.
"What did that one look like?" he asked, running his fingers through the beans trying to find that particular flavor.
"Don't just put your hand in there and touch them all!" Hermione exclaimed, coming over and grabbing the bag. "You're getting all your germs on them." Hermione opened up the bag and tilted it this way and that until she spotted what looked like the third bean she ate. Using her index finger and thumb she picked up the bean and handed it to Severus before going and sitting back down again.
Snape put the bean in his mouth and started to chew. Not a second later Snape spat the bean out to the side and made a very disgusted face. Looking at Hermione he glared and dipped his quill into the orange ink. Twenty points he muttered as he wrote it down on the parchment. Hermione giggled at the look of disgust on her professor's face. And couldn't help but ask:
"What flavor was it?"
"Worm."
All Hermione could do was laugh.
0o0o0o0
In the first parts of the morning Hermione had tried screaming at the top of her lungs, sadly it wasn't much help. After a while she resolved to call for help every ten minutes, but that didn't seem to help either. After a while she gave up. She was starting to lose her voice and even the birds perched on the tree above her didn't seem to notice.
Other than her intervals of screaming to whoever might be in the forest, the day passed by slowly. Hermione and Snape didn't talk much and most of the day they spent their time in different areas of the hole. When Snape thought Hermione wasn't looking he would take a bean out from the bag and Hermione would laugh to herself as she watched him from the corner of her eye. Most of the day she read her book, and occasionally she would look up to see what her professor was doing. He would be pacing in the corner or looking up at the top of the hole, as if checking to see if anything changed.
At one point Hermione felt an urge that she could not ignore. Her bladder was insistent and she had no idea what to do. Finally she addressed the issue to the professor in the most embarrassed way and he huffed and pretended to ignore her. Ignoring her did not make her have to go pee any less however so she spent a good hour trying to make a latrine out of her surroundings. Using the spoon she had kept in her pants bag she dug a large hole, taking her a good hour, and then took the box of Kleenex from her pants bag and rested it beside it.
Somewhat proud of herself she ordered Snape to turn around and not look until she said so. He had no intention of disobeying and quickly turned around, pretending to study to wall of stone in front of him. Her telling him he could turn around now was the last thing she had said to him all day and the awkward silence didn't seem to have a way to mend itself. Hermione was okay with though, the silence left her able to concentrate on her book.
She didn't want to think about Seamus but she couldn't help it. She wondered if she would ever see him again and felt terrible about the fight they had. She hated thinking that the last time they ever would talk it would be angry words and bad feelings. Especially after such a nice thing he tried to do for her.
Harry and Ron too. Would they think that she ran off because she was so angry? With everyone angry at her would they still want to look for her? She hoped so. She couldn't imagine her last days being spent with a man who tried to make her life miserable. She watched him sit down and ignite a few of her parchment papers with some of the twigs from the floor. It lit quickly and he used the fire to dry his shoes from the dampness of the cavern. He was totally oblivious of her watching him, and she could sense he didn't want to be in this cave with her anymore than she did. Not that it took Trelawney to know something like that.
She hoped that in the morning everyone would be out looking for her. If she could hear people going through the Forbidden Forest she could call out to them and when they heard her they would be able to get her out of here. She knew that Seamus may have been mad at her when she left but he wouldn't stop looking for her until her found her. Neither would Harry or Ron for that matter. She had such wonderful friends, they would never just abandon her. That's when she realized no one would be looking for Severus Snape.
0o0o0o0
Night was taking over and the only light that Hermione and Snape had was the small flicker of the flame Snape had made. Hermione tried to read by the fire but she wasn't close enough to the fire for the light to shine on her pages. Moving closer she angled the book towards the flame and began to read where she had left off. Snape sat at the fire, poking it with a stick every couple minutes, appearing to be deep in thought.
"What are you doing?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Reading," she responded matter-of-factly, raising the book up so he could see it better.
"Seems like a waste of time when you have a 5 scroll essay on wit sharpening potions due tomorrow," he retorted smugly before closing his eyes and going to sleep.
Hermione groaned. As if he wanted her to write that 5 scroll essay for tomorrow when they were stuck in a pit; it should be the last thing in his mind. How could he expect her to be concerned with a 5 scroll essay when this could very well be the end of them? She was absolutely exhausted and did he care? Of course not. Taking out parchment from her pants bag, Hermione began to write her essay, using the orange ink and quill previously used by Snape to mark down point extractions. Putting a few more twigs on the fire, she started and finished her essay by the flame, and when she was finally finished, she could detect a hint of sun poking through the cover of branches over the hole. Yawning, she looked over at professor Snape and couldn't help but notice how peaceful he looked while sleeping, so contrary to the harsh features he sported during the day. Then, she too went to sleep.
AN: Sorry that took a little longer than a week. I'm in the middle of moving right now so things are hectic, but will be back to normal after the 10th or so. I'm hoping to get chapter five up as soon as I'm moved in with internet again. In the mean time, please review!