Hi everyone, here is Chapter 2! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1! Thank you so much for those who reviewed, it's really encouraging to see that someone enjoys my story! It means a lot to me! This is, I think, the second last Chapter. As usual, please leave reviews and tell me how I can improve, I really want to write more stories that you will enjoy! Thanks xx
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
It was two weeks before the start of term, and all the staff was busy doing the final repairs to the castle after all the damage done in the Final Battle. Snape had fully recovered and could be seen sweeping around in his batlike fashion, black robes billowing out behind him. In the day, his mood was fouler than ever, his cold, murderous eyes daring anyone to interrupt his thoughts, and even Minerva knew better than to speak to him unless absolutely necessary. At least they left him to brood over his dark thoughts now, and Snape could not have asked for more. But something was nagging him in the back of his mind, and he simply couldn't let it go. Snape didn't like not knowing, and though he vowed to forget the mysterious voice, he couldn't stop himself from wondering, and each night as he lay in bed, he dreamt of a mysterious lady begging him not to leave her.
Some of the students who had come of age offered to help rebuild the castle, and Hermione was one of them. She had decided to continue with her studies and take her NEWTs with a few others in her year as eighth-years, including Neville. Harry and Ron had accepted the Ministry's offer to let them start Auror Training immediately without NEWTs. Ginny and Luna and the rest of their year would be returning in September for their last year. The Ministry was too busy to spare any Aurors to locate Hermione's parents, so to take her mind off things, she decided to engage herself in returning Hogwarts to its former glory.
Seeing Snape recover, she had pushed her own desires and needs to the back of her mind and resolved to avoid him for as long as she stayed at Hogwarts. But at night, unable to help herself, she would curl up in her new eighth-year single room and cry until tears no longer came and drift off into uneasy sleep. She knew she had only two weeks to pull herself together before she had to face him again in lessons, but it was all she could do to apply glamour every morning to hide the dark circles under her eyes and work herself beyond exhaustion each day to keep her emotions at bay.
The first few days of school were a blur. Everyone seemed to be trying to get used to living a normal life after the War, and Hermione in particular found it hard to cope with all the pressure as a war hero and the only one in the Golden Trio to have returned. Harry and Ron were very busy with Auror training, and they didn't exchange owls as frequently as they did before. Ginny and Luna were nice to her, of course, but they had their own friends, and other people either avoided her or were blatantly fangirling over her. By the time the first two days of lessons had passed, Hermione was lonely and tired, and her heartbreak wasn't going anywhere.
It was the third day of school and Hermione was to have her first Potions lesson with Professor Snape after the War. As the lesson approached, she found herself more and more apprehensive. Although she sorely missed being near him, she felt that she wasn't ready to face Snape's infamous ire yet. She entered the Potions classroom in the dungeons and took care to choose the seat right at the back, farthest away from the blackboard. Snape swept into the classroom with his usual impressive entrance, sneering coldly. He regarded the class coolly, unimpressed. They were the eighth-years who had missed a year of proper education, and he did not look forward to having to bring them up to scratch by the time they took their NEWTs.
His eyes rested on Hermione and he raised his eyebrow, surprised that she didn't choose to sit right in front of him as she usually did. Then he noticed the unmistakable trace of glamour on her face and saw the dark circles under it. He scowled darkly at her, and was even more surprised when he saw the expression of hurt in her eyes. He turned away and began his lesson. All through the lesson, Hermione kept her head down and never once raised her hand to answer a question. Snape at first found it pleasant to not have to deal with the insufferable know-it-all, but it irked him that no one knew the answers to his questions. "Granger." Snape's drawl sent a shiver down Hermione's spine as she looked up from her work and met his cold glare hesitantly. "Sir?" "Stay behind after this lesson," he drawled before turning to abuse Neville for his incompetence as usual. Hermione lowered her gaze, thoughts swirling out of control in her mind. It was lucky she had already finished the essay Snape had set them for the lesson, or she wouldn't have been able to finish it in this state of mind. She knew she was in trouble, but she didn't know why.
She packed slowly, waiting for all the other students to leave before slowly making her way to the front of the classroom. "Professor," she said softly. Without looking up from his paperwork, he drawled, "Why is it, Granger, that being the brains of the Golden Trio, you refused to engage in my lesson today? Did you feel that winning a war and killing the Dark Lord would change the fact that you are just my student in this classroom?" Hermione gasped, tears springing into her eyes. Snape looked up, eyes narrowed, not happy at not receiving an answer. Hermione gulped, forcing her tears back, her hurt showing plainly on her face, then unable to take it any longer, rushed from the classroom and out onto the grounds. Snape stared after her, eyebrow raised. He had not anticipated the hurt Hermione felt, as that had not been his cruelest remark he had made to her. Frowning slightly at her unexpected behaviour, he retired into his office.