~ chapter 7 ~

My head hurts.

I can barely open my eyes to look around. When I notice I'm in my room, I relax, then memories come flooding back.

What the hell was I thinking?

Getting drunk is completely out of character for me.

But...it was fun while it lasted. I can still remember how funny everything seemed to be and I wasn't worried about anything. I felt no shame, no embarrassment, nothing was holding me back. I could even talk to Snape without being - .

Oh God.

Snape.

I hide my face into the covers as I try to remember what I said to him.

There isn't much I can remember.

One minute I was laughing at him and the next he was walking me to my room, putting me in bed.

That was nice of him.

Of course he probably did it because he did not want me to vomit all over his living room.

I close my eyes, deciding to rest for a bit longer.

Then I hear a soft knock on the door.

Is it him?

"C-Come in," I call out, forcing myself to sit up and look sober.

But it isn't him.

It's his House Elf and he's carrying a plate.

He looks at me sceptically, "Good morning, Miss."

"Morning," I reply, "What time is it?"

"Past eleven, Miss."

My eyes widen in surprise, "I'm late for classes!" I quickly jump out of the bed, then realize it was a bad idea as the room starts spinning around me again. Just like yesterday, but this time it's less funny.

I sit back on the bed, closing my eyes for a second, "How come no one woke me up?"

"Master ordered so," the Elf answers and places a large cub of coffee on the nightstand, "He also ordered me to bring this to Miss when she wakes up."

"He did?"

The Elf nods his head, then looks at me awkwardly.

"Y-You can go. Thank you," I say to him and he immediately leaves.

I run a hand through my hair, not believing how stupid I was.

How am I going to explain everything to my friends? I can't just admit I got drunk. They would want to know why and I-I can't answer that.

Why?

I think I was just sick and tired of everything and I desperately needed to relax a bit and...not feel so much.

Forget about everything.

And the alcohol helped.

Sadly it only lasted a couple of hours.

ooo

I cover my mouth, willing the sickness to go away. I've been to the bathroom three times already and it's only the middle of the day. If I vomit one more time, there won't be anything left of me anymore.

"I think I will start hiding my bottles of Firewhiskey," a voice suddenly cuts through the silence.

A short scream escapes me and I turn to see who it is.

It's him. Who else could it be? Who else would barge into my room without knocking?

"You really need to learn some manners," I bark at him, "This is my room and - " I stop talking as another wave of sickness hits me and I close my eyes, waiting for it to pass.

When I finally feel strong enough to talk again, I send him a cold glare, "If you do not learn to knock before entering, I will start locking the doors."

He only raises his eyebrow at that, slightly amused by it.

I pull the covers up to my neck and wait.

What does he want?

Slowly he approaches my bed, looking down his nose, "How are you feeling?"

"How do you think?"

"Are you capable of having a conversation? There are some matters I need to discuss with you."

I nod, "What is it?"

"What exactly is going on with you and Minerva?"

"W-What?"

"You two are hiding something."

"What makes you think that?"

He narrows his eyes at me, "When you missed class today she barged into my classroom demanding explanation and almost pushing me to the floor to get to my...our private quarters."

I tense up, "She's always been like a mother to me."

A cold smirk plays on his lips, "I think there is much more than just that. She was acting as if you had died."

Biting down on my lip I try to remain calm and unaffected by his words.

He continues, "And when I explained the real reason for your absence, her behaviour got...strange."

I force a smile, "That is something you should ask her about."

"What are you hiding from me?" his voice gets angrier, "Why are you taking medicine?"

My heart stops, "Medicine? Were you...were you going through my things?"

He rolls his eyes, "I am not completely without manners, Miss Granger."

"Then how do you - ?"

"You yourself said it. Last night, when I offered you a potion you refused to take it, claiming it would react badly with your medicine."

I am speechless.

What can I say?

How can I get out of this one?

"I-I-I was drunk," the words somehow make their way out of my mouth.

"That is a petty excuse. What did you mean by 'medicine'?"

Another wave of sickness hits me and I could not be more thankful for it. Jumping out of my bed, I run past him into the bathroom, slamming the doors shut and yelling "Leave!" before dropping to my knees and hovering above the toilet.

ooo

This is humiliating.

Everyone is looking at me.

Whispering things. Pointing at me. Grimacing. Shaking their head.

And it's understandable.

Two days ago I married the Potions Master.

My friends pretend they understand. They pretend they do not judge me, but I can see it in their eyes. They are wondering what the hell is wrong with me.

I walk through the hallway, making my way to the Great Hall, trying hard to look strong and confident.

"Hermione!"

That voice.

I turn around, noticing Ron standing a few feet away.

I can't believe it.

He's been gone for more than a month. Ever since it became public that I would marry Severus Snape.

I immediately run over to him, wanting to hug him, to ask him how he is, where he's been, why he's back. So many questions.

But I freeze as I notice the expression on his face.

Rage.

Hate.

"Ron."

"So you really did it," he says coldly, "You married that...git."

"Lets go to my room," I try to calm him down.

"Your room? You mean his quarters?"

"Ron - "

"What the hell is wrong with you, Hermione?" he raises his voice, "Are you...mental? He has you under some spell, it has to be that!"

Everyone is looking at us by now.

"Ron, stop it, I'm not under a spell. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then explain it to me! You can't, can you?"

I grit my teeth together, "Let's just go somewhere private."

"I can't do that, Hermione. You are a married woman now, how would it look if you went somewhere with your former boyfriend?"

People are whispering.

They just love scenes like this.

How can Ron do this to me?

I take a deep breath, "I am not going to discuss this here."

Just as I am about to turn away, he laughs, "I understand. You can't discuss your love life in public!"

"Ronald, shut your mouth!" I scream at him, my whole body shaking.

"I will shut my mouth, but only when you explain yourself!"

"Miss Granger does not need to explain anything to you, Mr. Weasley."

Snape.

He appears out of nowhere and moves to stand next to me.

"You bastard," Ron whispers, "I knew you were no hero. Lusting after girls more than half your age! You are disgusting."

"Ron, stop it!" I try again.

Snape turns his attention to the students surrounding us, "I am going to count to three and anyone who is still standing here by the time I reach 'three' will be serving detention every day for the rest of this year. One."

In two seconds everyone is gone.

I approach Ron, "I'm sorry. I can't explain, but you will understand one day. I promise you, this is for the best."

He grabs my arm, "You replaced me with him! Him of all people!"

What can I say to make this better?

Snape does not move, but his cold voice cuts through the silence, "Get your hand off her, Weasley, if you do not wish to pull back a bleeding limb."

Ron lets go of me and just shakes his head, looking hard at me, "Who are you?"

Before I have a chance to reply he turns and walks away.

I stand there, feeling as if someone just ripped out my guts.

Snape walks over to me, "I will see to it that he is not allowed on school ground anymore."

And then he too walks away.

ooo

It's almost night already.

I'm still sick, but I needed to do this.

I miss them so much.

It's cold and I start shivering as I hide behind a bush across the street from my house.

My former house.

The house where I grew up in and eventually had to leave forever.

I tense up as a car parks in front of it.

A second passes.

Then another.

And then she opens the doors.

Mum.

A smile forms on my lips as I watch her. She looks fine. She's healthy and happy. Life is so much better for her when she does not have a sick daughter to take care of.

I watch in silence as she picks up a large bag of groceries and carries it to the house. An orange falls to the floor and I feel such strong need to go there and help her. To open the doors of the house for her, to pick the orange up, to say 'hi, mum, how was your day?'.

But I do none of those things.

I hide and watch as she returns for the orange, locks the car doors and disappears into the house.

I stand there for a couple of minutes, silent tears sliding down my face.

And then I apparate back into the Wizarding world.

ooo

"Sometimes I wonder why I came back here," Harry admits, pulling his books out of his bag and placing them on the desk.

"Because," I remind him, "You want to be an Auror."

"Perhaps there's another way..."

"Harry, stop it."

He shakes his head, "Two hours of Transfiguration! Don't you think we should get some kind of...special treatment for being War heroes?"

I smile at him, "You are just lazy, Harry."

Professor McGonagall enters the classroom and we all sit down, turning our attention towards her.

"Good morning, students," she starts.

I open the book, turning to page fifty-five and then I start to feel it.

Nausea.

I blink a few times, taking a deep breath.

It will pass.

Ignoring it, I look at Professor McGonagall but soon I realize I can't really hear her. There is pressure in my head and I lean onto the desk, praying and hoping it will pass.

But it doesn't.

Soon I start seeing black spots and this scares me.

"Harry," I manage to whisper before my vision turns dark.

"Hermione."

"What is wrong?"

"Breathe."

I can hear the voices but I can't see anything.

Soon the darkness takes over me completely.

ooo

I groan, opening my eyes slowly.

This isn't my room.

Why am I in someone else's bed?

Professor Snape.

He's sitting on the chair next to my bed.

And he's staring at me.

"Why are you here?" I ask, my voice raspy.

"As your husband I am the first person to contact in case of emergency."

"Emergency?" I am a bit surprised, then I take a look around, "Hospital Wing."

"I am stunned by your power of observation."

Ignoring his comment, I demand, "How did I get here?"

"You fainted."

Oh.

Now I remember.

Not the fainting part, but I do remember feeling a bit strange and hoping it would pass.

"Well, I-I feel good now," I say, sitting up.

"Where do you think you are going, Miss Granger?"

"Out of here. I'm fine, it was just an...accident."

His expression stops me.

He is serious.

"You are not going anywhere," he says calmly and I can't force myself to disobey.

"I'm fine," I insist.

"You are not fine. You were unconscious for a couple of hours."

My eyes widen in shock, "What?"

"Exactly," he nods, "And you are going to remain in that bed until the blood result tests come back."

My throat closes up, "A-Alright. But you can leave. I'm fine and there's no need for you to stay here. I've wasted more than enough of your time already."

His dark eyes cut through me and for a second I think he knows about everything.

But that's impossible, right?

"I am not going anywhere," he replies, "As much as it pains me to admit, you are my responsibility now."

"I'm not."

"You are," he repeats, "And I have never turned my back on my responsibilities. Only when I see the proof that you are indeed alright will I leave you alone and you can start annoying me with your presence again. But until then I am going to sit here and you are going to stay on that bed. Preferably, silent."

I gulp, keeping a calm face.

What now?

A/N: I know you guys want to see Snape find out the truth, but that's not the point of this story. And it can't happen this early in the story, believe me, I know what I'm doing. ;) Thank you for reading!