Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Notes: This chapter starts to get closer to a PG-13/light R rating at the end. You've been warned.
Please review and let me know what you think. I had a lot of fun with this chapter. You should see the evil grin on my face right now. Mwa ha ha!
Treating Her Curses, Healing His Soul
Chapter Four
Staring at the door that the infuriating Gryffindor had just exited, Severus Snape could still feel the rage within himself boiling. How dare she talk to him in such a manner? After everything he was doing for her-and all he was risking by doing it, none the less, her accusation that he was playing favorites…
How could she?
It took almost half an hour and several shots of Ogden's for him to realize that he was hurt. That Hermione Granger had hurt his bloody feelings.
Starting to go soft… he thought distastefully, downing another shot and slowly exhaling, smoke puffing from his nostrils like a dragon.
Before he could decide what to do with this information, however, a voice from behind him, from the general direction of his fireplace, actually, startled him from his thoughts.
"Severus, my boy! So glad to see you aren't occupied! Come to my office, please." said the cheerful, flaming face of Albus Dumbledore.
Severus scowled, grinding his teeth. This was not what he needed right now. Turning, he met flame-Dumbledore's gaze.
"I believe you're mistaken. I am quite occupied at the moment." he hissed, gesturing to the half-empty liquor bottle. Dumbledore chuckled.
"I hardly think pouting into a bottle counts as busy, Severus. If it's that important to you, bring it along." And with that, the fireplace returned to normal, just in time, as Severus' glass shattered among the flames.
XXXXXX
"Gumballs."
The password was barely out of the Potions Master's mouth when the gargoyles moved aside, and with a long-suffering sigh, Severus ascended the stairs and knocked on the door.
"Come in." came Dumbledore's muffled voice, and Severus opened the door and stepped inside.
"Ah, wonderful to see you so promptly!" the headmaster said jovially, gesturing to the armchair before his desk. "Please, do sit down."
Reluctantly, Severus did so, and folded his hands in his lap.
"Lovely. Now then, it has been brought to my attention that Miss Hermione Granger is currently serving a rather… lengthy detention with you. Is this correct?"
Severus scowled, but said nothing.
"I shall take your silence as an agreement. Lemon drop?" he offered, gesturing to the dish on his desk. Severus made no reply. "I thought not. Anyhow, I feel I must draw a bit of a parallel to your attention. Your mood has been considerably fouler since you gave the poor girl the detention. If it gets any worse, your glaring and scowling may actually cause physical harm to someone." His eyes began to twinkle.
Severus nearly exploded. Jumping to his feet, he began to rave.
"The girl is unmanageable! Insufferable! Completely disrespectful! She never stops talking, thinks she's so brilliant! Her irritation of me could not possibly reach a higher level!"
Albus held back a chuckle.
"I don't know why I even bother acknowledging the chit! Gryffindor through and through, so self righteous!"
Sinking back into his chair, Severus rubbed his face with his hands.
"You know," Albus began cautiously, "I remember a time not all that long ago when you enjoyed a certain know it all Gryffindor's insufferable nature."
Severus' head snapped up. "Don't you dare bring her into this. The two of them have absolutely nothing in common, and I most certainly do not find any feature of Miss Granger appealing!"
Albus' eyes were threatening to twinkle right out of their very sockets.
"I never suggested that you found her "appealing" in the slightest, Severus."
The Potions Master's face blanched, and then turned several shades of purple and red.
"This conversation is over," he stated flatly, standing and heading for the door. "Disrespectful Gryffindor brat." He grumbled under his breath as he reached for the doorknob.
"Severus."
He turned.
"Perhaps if you treated her with respect, as an equal in some ways, she would in turn respect you."
"An equal? Respect?! She's a child, and a spoiled one at that." He turned the knob, prepared to storm away.
"Miss Granger came of age over the last summer holiday, Severus. She has not been a child for some time."
Severus froze, eyes going wide.
"Have a good night!"
XXXXXX
Transfiguration, a class which Hermione had a deep fondness for, was failing to keep her attention today. The large spider before her was remaining in its same form, much to the horror of Ron, as he sat next to her.
By the end of the class she had roused herself from her thoughts long enough to flick her wand and transfigure the arachnid into a hat pin, as she could have done earlier, and as everyone filed out of the room, Professor McGonagall caught Hermione's arm and held her back.
"A word, Miss Granger?" Hermione nodded, and sat down in a chair that McGonagall had just transfigured from a box of odds and ends on her desk.
"You seemed distracted today," the Professor began, "and I believe it has something to do with this ridiculous detention you've been given by Professor Snape."
Hermione's face went white. Mistaking her expression, Professor McGonagall put a comforting hand on her arm.
"There now, I know he can be a bit… intimidating…"
Hermione shook her head. "No Professor, honestly. Everything is fine; I'm just tired from studying last night."
"That is exactly what I am talking about. He keeps you from after dinner until curfew every night, how does he expect you to do any schoolwork? Don't you worry though, dear. I'll have a little chat with him and get all this straightened out. You've had detention enough, I think."
Hermione's eyes went wide. "No!" she blushed. "I mean, no Professor. I can manage just fine. Please, I'm so tired of everyone making a fuss. I was disrespectful to Professor Snape, I deserve the detention. I need to prove that I can handle him, that I don't need special treatment." There, that sounded reasonable enough, didn't it?
"Well, it can be quite difficult to treat the man with respect on occasion. I wouldn't feel too bad." Professor McGonagall said simply. "The thing to remember is that he is a complicated man, with a very complicated past. He can be difficult at times, but…"
Hermione nodded in understanding, feeling increasingly guilty for her behavior the night before.
"Thank you professor," she began, standing up from the chair rather abruptly, "could I be excused now?"
At the Professor's surprised nod, Hermione let herself out, head bowed in thought.
XXXXXX
Evening came rather quickly, and filled with dread, Hermione made her way to the dungeons, and knocked on Professor Snape's office door.
"Enter."
Taking a deep breath, she slipped inside, and met the Potions Professor's gaze.
"Professor, I-"
"Miss Granger-"
The both fell silent for a moment, a bit surprised, before Severus gestured to Hermione.
"Professor Snape, I just wanted to… well, say that I'm sorry for my behavior last night. I should have doubted you."
He blinked. And then blinked again.
"Oh."
He certainly hadn't expected this.
"I accept your apology, Miss Granger," he began, somewhat awkwardly, "I trust that in the future you will think before you speak."
Yes, that sounded sarcastic and unfeeling enough. He concluded.
"You… wanted to say something too, Professor?" she asked timidly, and Severus frowned, than nodded.
"Yes. Well, I wanted to… I wanted to apologize as well. For my quick temper. It was… disrespectful…" the word had caused him obvious discomfort, "and I should not have spoken to you so."
Now it was Hermione's turn to be shocked.
"Oh! Well um… thank you," she said softly. "I accept your apology too."
"Good." He said brusquely, "Now that we're finished with that matter, I have your potion ready."
As Severus turned to get the flask, Hermione allowed a brief smile to cross her face.
Who would have thought?
Looking at the back of his head, Hermione felt a certain fondness rise up inside of her.
Who would have thought, indeed.
XXXXXX
That night, as the bushy-haired Gryffindor slept peacefully in her dormitory, Professor Snape lay in bed drenched in sweat, the bedclothes tangled around his legs as he twitched and mumbled in his sleep.
With a rather furious bought of jerking and a few spasms, he let out one long, deep moan, one that slowly turned into a name.
"Hermione…" he hissed, body relaxing, breath puffing in deep pants.
And he slept on.