Don't get your hopes up that this pace will continue, but hey, even a handful of comments can inspire me. Also, i'm an insomniac and didn't sleep last night, so I chose to do this instead of less fun stuff - like doing the dishes.
As per - not mine, belongs to her.
Hermione sat straight-backed in the winged armchair in Albus Dumbledore's office, keeping her eyes firmly on the hole she was slowly creating in the patterned fabric. As Snape finished his telling of what brought them to the office, silence fell upon the room as the old wizard steepled his fingers and scrutinized them over his half moon glasses. Hermione risked a glance at the Potions Master, and quickly tried to tamp down the hysterical laughter she felt bubbling out of nowhere when he scowled back at her.
Breathe. Breathe. You didn't do anything wrong. You're not in trouble. Her laughter erupted as a sort of hysterical snort, which caused both the men to snap their eyes to her. She smiled weakly, and shrugged her shoulders.
"Severus, would you kindly touch Miss Granger." Dumbledore said sitting forward slightly in his seat, the apprehensive look barely masked on his face. Hermione noticed how old he looked right before his words sank in; her eyes widened as she turned to Snape. He looked barely in control of his rage. "Really Severus, it's not like I'm asking you to give her house points."
Snape sighed and reached one hand across the gap separating them. Hermione looked at his hand in fascination until he cleared his throat. She reached her hand out, palm up, and tilted her head to watch as he took a steadying breath and extended one long, pale finger to close the distance. Hermione braced herself against the chair, and saw him do the same.
The shock she felt when nothing happened almost rivaled the physical shock earlier in the library. In her surprise she leaned over and grabbed the Potion Master's hand. She smiled, and turned to the Headmaster. The smile quickly faded as Snape snatched his hand back, cradling it to himself as if she had hurt him, and Dumbledore's frown deepened.
"Ah." Dumbledore said as he leaned back into his chair. "And was there a flash of light during the… incident?"
"Purple, sir." Hermione said, retracting her arm across the distance to the safety of the armrest. Dumbledore turned to Snape who nodded his affirmation.
"And have you ever touched before?"
Hermione frowned as she tried to recall ever touching the distance man. She thought backwards chronologically, and when she reached back to third year, she spoke,
"Once." She was startled when Snape answered at the exact same moment.
Dumbledore nodded, "I see. And no…shocks?"
"Albus, really. What the hell is going on? Can't you just tell me" he glanced at Hermione "…us what you know?" Hermione realized that all of the portraits of the former Heads of Hogwarts were awake. They held mixed expressions; from consternation, to amusement, and oddly enough - fury.
"Hogwarts is known as a safe haven for students. It has been known so since before I was born." Hermione sat forward slightly in her seat, and saw Snape mirror her movements. "Some time ago a magical ward was put in place to protect students from the more…lecherous tendencies of members of the teaching staff." Hermione's mouth opened in shock, and she turned her stunned eyes to Professor Snape who had frozen in his seat. "The protection spells have many different levels. As you can imagine, when Gilderoy Lockhart was here, students were not being thrown around the school higgledy-piggledy. If a student…" he cleared his throat, reaching for a lemon drop from his desk, "If a student has sexual or amorous feelings for a Professor, said student generally is just given a feint shove in another direction. The closer they get, the more they feel the need to move away. The flashes of color depict what sort of…feelings are being harbored."
Hermione felt a blush covering her face, and lowered her head, hoping her good-for-nothing hair would actually be good for something. Unfortunately her movement drew Snape's gaze towards. She kept her gaze trained on the man behind the desk.
"If there are sexual feelings from a teacher towards a student, and they are…unrequited, the color will be orange when the light flashes." Hermione could almost see every bone in Snape's body relax for a split second, which only intrigued her more, before he sat upright again.
"If the lust, for lack of a better word, is mutual, then the flash will be purple." Hermione all of a sudden felt released. He felt it too! Her mind screamed, as a smile blossomed over her face. She tried to repress it, but only wrestled it into a small grin. She felt on top of the world. Which probably accounted for the laughter, which burst forth, uncontrollably. Not even the glare of her formerly fearsome professor could quell it. She heard mutterings from some of the portraits and slowly quieted herself.
Even with Voldemort threatening their lives every day, and her parents in danger, and her N.E.W.T.S coming up, she finally a modicum of relaxation. The room was silent, so she fell back on her most natural state of being: curiosity.
"Are there other colors? Do the flashes intensify? Can they cause real harm? What are-"
"Miss Granger, could you possibly grant us a respite from your incessant nattering for a few brief moments?" Snape said, hand pinching the bridge of his nose, his icy teaching voice back in full force. And the strangest thing happened; Hermione didn't feel any of her usual responses to that well practiced voice. Instead, she shot a brilliant smile at her Potions Master, whose eyebrows rose briefly in shock, and then turned back to the Headmaster with anticipation.
"You cannot touch the same item at the same time in most, though not all, cases. As for other colors: if the student is in love with the professor, and it is unrequited, the flash is light green. If the professor feels sexual attraction in return, the flash is dark green. If the professor is in love with the student the color is light blue, and if the student feels sexual attraction in return, it is dark green." Hermione's hands itched for some parchment and a quill.
"And if they are in love?" Dumbledore frowned at her, turning to look towards Snape. Hermione smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Theoretically."
"Gold. The flash is golden."
"Wow. I would love to see that." She said, sitting back in her chair with a sigh.
"This is not some flippant matter Miss Granger. This is very dangerous. Severus is playing an important role in this war, and must not be…distracted." Hermione smiled lazily and raised one eyebrow. What the hell is wrong with me? One corner of her mind screamed, but she couldn't care less. She felt…womanly.
"Albus... how were we able to touch?" Snape asked suddenly, motioning to the empty air between them.
"This office is the only place you will be able to touch on Hogwarts property." The Headmaster replied gravely.
"And does Hogwarts own the forbidden forest?" Hermione asked with a grin. Shut up, shut up, shut up.
"Miss Granger!" Both men yelled at once, Snape with an odd strain in his voice.
"Oh calm down, I'm just kidding."
"Miss Granger, I had formerly thought of you as the most level headed student at this school, I see I was gravely misinformed." Dumbledore said, and a murmur of agreement came from the portraits around them.
Hermione was livid. Didn't they understand? I barely understand. How could he use one statement to change his entire opinion of her? How could he sit there, judging her? How could she not do anything about it? Because he's older, wiser, and deserves your respect.
"I feel that these charms and wards are not enough. I must limit your interaction to two hours of class related contact outside of the classroom a week, and two hours of personal interaction a month." Dumbledore stated, striving for a note of finality.
Hermione looked at Snape and saw he wanted to tell the Headmaster that this was more time than they had ever spent in each other's company, excluding Potions class.
"And Miss Granger?" Hermione turned back to the Headmaster. "I expect you to make wise decisions."
Hermione snapped. She stood up and paced the small area in front of her chair.
"Wise decisions? Wise decisions? I'm the smartest bloody student in this school. I know what is at stake here. Won't you let me feel relief, at least while I'm in this room? You have no idea what I have been feeling for the past year. I've had these feelings, and…and thoughts, and now…now I find out that I'm not the only one. The bloody master of controlled emotions and impulses over there," she flapped an arm in Snape's direction, "has a chink in his armor. Well excuse me for acting like a teenager for the first time in years. I'll make sure to never do so in your presence again."
Hermione flopped back into her chair with huff, crossing her arms and scowling. Way to prove him right, Hermione! Surprisingly it was Snape who broke the tense silence.
"Miss Granger, I…I feel I ought to-" His tone was almost remorseful, and he shifted uneasily in his seat, bringing the whole situation slamming home for her. This man, this spy for the order, who possibly, no, probably felt no real joy in his life, was denied the one thing he really wanted. He really wanted her!
"No. I'm sorry. I didn't think. It seems to be a trend with me today. I just…" She gave a smile shrug and a smile. "Headmaster, is there anything else we need to know?"
Snape cleared his throat quietly, "Are there any repercussion in the community as a whole?" The veiled question was obvious to them all. What about Harry and Ron?
"The rules state that when the Headmaster is friends with the professor, a fourth person must be told." Hermione saw the look of shock on Snape's face and felt as though she was intruding on a deeply personal moment. Dumbledore continued in a much quieter, but no-less serious voice. "Severus, you are most certainly my friend, and I hope one day you can think the same of me." Snape gave a short, sharp nod, and turned his face towards the window, and away from Hermione. "I shall inform the fourth member this evening. No, Miss Granger, I will not be telling you whom it is I choose. Now," the Headmaster said in an entirely cheerful tone of voice, but was unable to hide the slightly strained quality, "it is late, and I'm sure you both have work to do."
Hermione and Snape rose from their seats, leaving the office with Hermione in the lead. She paused at the threshold and stopped so suddenly she felt the Snape's robes swish against her legs. She placed her hand on the door, and felt her blush rise again as she turned to him.
"I…" She took a deep breath, trying to pull all her courage from moments earlier to herself. She met his eyes, and saw the same confusion she was feeling reflected in his own dark eyes. Without another thought she grabbed his left hand with her right and ran her thumb across the back once, twice. "Thank you…for seeing me." With that she turned, and tried not to run down the spiral stairs, sure he was scowling at her back.
If Hermione Granger had been a skilled occlumens she may have heard the mantra running through Severus Snape's mind as he rose from his seat.
Bugger, bugger, bugger. Don't touch her hair. Bugger, bugger, bugger. She might also have understood that the moment she touched him all these thoughts stopped, leaving only one word in their wake: Hermione.
Hope you like, feel free to tell me if you don't (but please, be gentle: I bruise easily). I know there is not always time to respond, just reading it is enough for me.