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Warning: Attempted Non-Con (nothing too extreme though)
"No. That's not right either – here just give it to me," Hermione sighed exasperatedly, leaning over to grab Severus' parchment.
Although Hermione had reconciled with Sirius and the Marauders she still spent most of her evenings with Severus in the library.
She reasoned that if she stayed in the common room with the others she would be doing just the same as she was in the library with only more essays to correct and less books to pursue.
Hermione was breezing through her sixth year work, completing her assignments with an ease that allowed her to undertake her extra research on time-travel.
Already through the available texts of the restricted section, meaning those books which would actually allow her to read them and did not try to bite her or burn her "dirty Mudblood hands" as they had decreed when she had tried to pry open the cover of a few of the darker books that were shelved there, Hermione was now on to the mundane perusal of the hundreds of magical history volumes in the hope of a glimmer of anything that may make mention of her rare predicament.
Severus although adept at potions, to Hermione's dismay, was much less proficient at Charms and Transfiguration which meant that about half of her time was spent fixing his work.
Severus would use this time, as Hermione spelled out his mistakes with her wand, to pick up whatever book Hermione had been reading in an attempt to discern what she was up to. Unfortunately for Severus every time he picked up her abandoned book he would only uncover a different section of magical history that had no recognisable connection to what she was reading the night before, or the night before that. It simply appeared that she was interested in History. Severus had screwed up his nose at the thought, scrapping the possibility that anyone could be interested in History after having Professor Binns as a teacher.
So as Hermione would hand back his parchment he would hand back her book and they would continue their respective work in silence, Severus with a look of disgruntled disgust on his face and Hermione hiding her amused smirk, knowing that he had once again failed to uncover the mystery behind 'her predisposition to magical history'.
It had been two weeks since the first full moon of the term when Severus and Hermione were once again ushered out of the Library by the snappy Librarian at five minutes past curfew.
Although they could have been given detention if they were caught by Filch, they did not hurry as Severus walked Hermione leisurely back to Gryffindor tower, as what had quickly become their nightly ritual. At first Hermione had insisted against the escort but he had simply refused to argue with her about it. A little affronted at being thought of needing a protector, Hermione had refused to talk to him on the way back to her rooms on the first night he had done so. Severus, however, had smirked the whole way back at her crossed arms and pursed mouth declaring as he left her at the portrait hole that he 'had finally discovered a way to shut her up without the enticement of a book'.
As disgruntled as an owl made to fly through a snow storm, she had not given him the satisfaction of a quiet night's walk since.
On this particular night, Hermione amused herself by reciting an old Shakespearean play that she remembered finding on the gloomy shelves of Grimmauld Place one boring night waiting for Harry's arrival.
Severus was only to glad to drop her off at the Gryffindor entrance with a hasty 'Goodnight'.
"Goodnight, oh fair Severus" she called to his retreating back melodically.
However as she turned to enter the round portal she felt a distinctive brush of material trail across her shoulder.
Without looking back she casually reached out an arm, her hand closing around the hidden form and pulled it back through the entry with her.
Once inside the common room, she turned around to face the not-so-sneaky Gryffindor pulling the invisibility cloak from a shocked James.
She let the material pool at his feet, a scowl firmly planted on her face.
"I – I was just going to the kitchens, honest!" He let the words stumble out of his mouth.
She raised one condescending eyebrow and turned on her heel towards the girl dormitories.
She could now see that Peter, Sirius and Remus were the only ones left in the common room, all equally holding in their laughter at James' face.
"I told you, you wouldn't get away with it James," Sirius gloated, obviously not referring to the kitchens.
"Man, she can be scarier than McGonagall sometimes," Peter stammered in a mixture of giggles and fear.
James seemed to have shaken himself out of his stupor and confidence returned reached his hand into his robe pocket.
"Yeah well I've still got – HEY!" he yelled as the piece of parchment flew out of his hand from a silent accio from the retreating female.
"We haven't even learnt non-verbals yet," he sulked as he sank onto one of the plush red armchairs.
The next morning Hermione took the confiscated map down to breakfast with every intention of handing it back to James, she reasoned that she couldn't use it anyway since being able to make the map work for her would only raise suspicion.
However before she reached the Great Hall she had already changed her decision.
A hall way away from her destination was James and Peter facing an already unarmed and alone Severus.
Before Hermione could even make her presence known James had thrown a curse at the defenceless Slytherin.
Severus' chest spilled open, blood quickly soaking his robes and pooling at his feet. Already backed against the wall, he slowly slumped to the ground, his hands weakly trying to stop the blood that flowed steadily through his shirt.
Their closeness to the Great Hall allowed Hermione's small squeal to be enough to alert the Professors and before Severus had finished his slump to the cold ground no less than seven Professor's were crowding the small scene. Madame Pomfrey, who must have been also dining in the Great Hall that morning, quickly made her way to the front dropping to the ground and murmuring a spell, her wand tip tracing the line of incision on Severus' chest.
Seeing the blood flow stop and the teachers bundling Severus up to take him to the Hospital Wing Hermione finally turned her attention back to the two boys that still stood wands out, but now pointed to the ground.
She was glad at least to see their shocked expressions and guilty pale faces, but it did not stop the bubble of rage that threatened to tear its way through her chest.
James' face snapped to her direction, looking past her. It was then she realised that she had been joined by Sirius and Remus, who were flanking her sides.
James face was drained of all colour as he whispered "I didn't – we didn't know. He – He threw it at us first and it missed… didn't know."
He didn't seem to have the ability to say anything else just murmuring those last two words over and over again.
McGonagall either overhearing James' words or just sensitive to his pale colour put a gentle hand on each boy and ushered James and Peter gently back up the stairs towards, undoubtedly headed towards the headmasters office.
Hermione felt a hand brush her cheek wiping the wetness away from her face.
She turned to face Remus, his hand still gently pushing away her tears.
She hadn't even been aware she had been crying, but now that she had been alerted to the fact it seemed as if they wouldn't stop, only increasing in their fervour.
She collapsed gently onto Remus, and without question he held her as her tears shook her small body.
Severus was sequestered in the Hospital Wing for a little less than week.
During that time Hermione continued to inhabit the Library in her evenings but the comfortable silence that she had always enjoyed within its walls and shelves seemed strangely empty and lonelier than it ever had without her newest friend. As a result she would never stay as long, leaving way before curfew.
On her fourth, and what she hoped last, night alone in what had become her regular corner, in her tiredness and worry over her missing companion she had accidentally let herself fall asleep, her head pressed against the open pages of another dull history book.
When she woke the Library was dark. It was unusual that she would not have been woken by the Librarian, ushering the few dwelling students out at curfew, but she supposed that the Librarian hadn't thought to look for her seeing as she had been leaving so early that past week.
Hermione packed up her books and slipped past the doors to the Library, heading back to the tower in a sleepy daze.
She dared not to light her wand, she didn't know what time it was but judging from the cool temperature of the hall and the lone moonlight lighting the walls she figured it was long past curfew.
Perhaps if she hadn't have been so tired, or she had thought to bring the map with her and not hidden it under her mattress in her anger at James she would have noticed the shadowed figure following her footsteps.
As it happened, she didn't notice and hence was caught completely unawares as a level away from the tower she was grabbed from behind and pushed roughly against the wall.
Her head hit the hard stone with a worrying crack and her eyes watered painfully, blurring her vision of her attacker.
Her hands were held to her sides and unable to grab for her wand, buried in her bag that now lay at her feet, she was defenceless to the body that pushed itself against her.
"Walking the halls alone?" a hot breath purred onto her cheek.
"Hasn't anyone ever told you to be careful of the dark?"
He, for the voice was too deep to be that of a woman, pulled her shoulders back and roughly slammed her back into the wall.
Her head lolled to her side in the pain as she let out a small groan.
He laughed.
"Perhaps then, I should teach you?"
Through her haze of pain she still heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper being drawn down and she immediately tensed in fear.
Before she could react further to free herself however a low growl that did not come from either of them filled the hallway.
Hermione couldn't see the new addition but the man that held her immediately dropped his grip, allowing Hermione to stumble a few steps away.
"Don't you dare touch her Rabastian," the new voice growled deep from his throat.
"Tell her to stay away from Snape then," the other replied, a hint of fear taking the edge away from his threat. "He's one of ours not one of Dumbledore's."
He seemed like he would have said more, but another growl from her saviour had Rabastian scampering away.
"Remus?" Hermione called uncertainly, her vision returning.
He was at her side in an instant, cradling her abused head in his hands. He turned her head to the side looking for damaging but found her without bloodshed and helped her to regain her balance without using the wall for support.
He turned away from her to pick up her fallen book bag and then turning back seemed to assess her for a second before reaching down to place one arm beneath her legs and scooping her up into his arms.
Surprised she wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself in his embrace.
She was weightless to his werewolf enhanced strength and he carried her with ease back to the safety of Gryffindor tower, his tightened grip the only signal to his troubled mind.
Weary but safe within his arms she was almost asleep when the reached the dorms.
With a whispered spell he was able to climb the girl's stairs minus a slippery-dip back down and he carried her all the way to her bad, finishing by tucking her safetly in the bedding.
He was already at the door when he was called back by a soft and sleepy "Remus?"
He walked back, pulling back her curtain to see her gazing tearfully up into his blue gaze.
Unable to stand her tears he swept down to sit on the edge of her bed, Hermione sitting up simultaneously and each wrapping their arms around the other.
"Thankyou Remus, I – I –"
"Shhhh …" he softly admonished, stroking the curls at the back of her head.
Unable to express her gratitude in words, Hermione turned her head to give him a soft kiss on his cheek. At the same time, Remus shifted and their lips brushed.
Frozen and attached to each other by their lips, Hermione hesitated only a second before pressing harder against his soft touch.
Remus' hesitation vanishing at her prompt deepened the kiss, adding his own pressure and pushing her gently back into the pillows.
The kiss seemed to last an eternity and entirely not long enough at the same time.
It wasn't until he felt the delicate touch of her tongue, brushing against his lips that he suddenly pulled back.
A brief look of hurt and puzzlement flashed across her face but was eradicated as he got up, brushing the hair from her forehead and placing a gently kiss at her temple.
"Sweet Dreams My," he whispered.