A/N; wow, that's so short and I'm so sorry for the delay, I've been so busy. I'll hopefully get longer more frequent chapters up from now on.
Chapter 2 - With the best intentions.
The lab was amazing, there was no other word to describe it. It was a big as the potions classroom, a workbench ran around the outside of the room. There were a number of bubbling cauldrons around the room each giving off a unique sent that added to the unusual smell that lingered in the room. There were no windows, making the air state and hot and Hermione loved it. It was lit from above by an iron chandelier, the candlelight flickered on the walls making the shadows dance.
She should have know that the private lab of the best potions master in England would be something special.
"I would thank you not to touch." Came the harsh voice of the potions master. He was still getting over the fact that this girl was something more than a bookworm. It was hard for him to accept that Hermione had done something in a few short months that he had not been able to do in over five years.
"I think I have proved myself able to cope with more advanced magic, sir." Hermione was disheartened that he did not recognise her achievements, all her other teachers had told her she was brilliant from her first year but he had been the honest one, when she got something wrong he would tell her giving her a chance to improve. She knew he was a brilliant man and she wanted his approval above all others. She just didn't know how to get it.
"one spell does make you a potions master, Miss Granger. You may excel in foolish wand waving but I have seen no evidence of any skill in advanced potions like those in this room." There he thought, that ought to keep her quiet. He knew she could probably complete some of the potions in here with a blind fold on but he wasn't going to admit that unless he absolutely had to.
"I have proven that I am worthy of this task and I would appreciate it if you could treat me as something more than a first year. I was really looking forward to working with you but now I see nothing more than a vindictive old BAT." with that she stormed from the lab, slamming the heavy oak door behind her causing some of the bottles on the shelf to rattle.
The air was cold as Hermione ran out of the entrance to the castle, it was mid- November and the Scottish weather had taken a turn for the worst in the last few weeks. A thin layer of frost covered the grass and the trees by the lake swayed violently in the sharp wind. Hermione's hair wrapped around her face as she ran for the lake, it was the her favourite place in the castle. The water was restless today but hat did noting to take away from the breathtaking beauty of the lake. Tall trees surrounded it, bare now having lost all their leaves in the autumn. Every season gave the area a new feel and Hermione felt that the winter gave the whole of Hogwarts an eerie beauty.
She had had to get out of castle, she could not believe that she had said those things to professor Snape. He was never going to work with her again, she had blown her only chance to learn from him. Before she knew it tears were streaming sown her face as she sat under an old willow tree by the lake.
Severus was in shock, the nerve of the girl. To think she could say those things to him and just run away. As he thought back over their conversation he could not help the smile that crept over his lips. Miss Granger certainly was a fiery young woman, brilliant but scary he had heard the youngest Weasley call her once. He never thought he say it but the boy was right.
He knew he was going to have to go after her, Albus would kill him if anything happened to her. With that thought he headed out of his lab and up into the main body of the school.
After an hour of searching he was at a loss, he had suffered the shame of entering the Gryffindor common room, he had looked into every empty room in the school; she just wasn't there. He was beginning to get worried, as head of Slytherin house he knew that there were a lot of junior death eaters that attended Hogwarts and as the brains behind the golden trio she was a target.
Just when he had decided to report her missing he spotted a black dot out by the lake. He had not checked there as he thought she was too sensible to venture outside into the Scottish winter.
He cursed as the wind flipped his hair blowing it into his eyes. What was the stupid girl doing out there anyway? He continued muttering to himself as he made his down to lake. He was fully prepared to give the annoying girl detention and take enough house points to put Gryffindor into the negative but when he saw her something inside him warmed at the sight. She was asleep on the ground under a willow tree, using her folded school cloak as a pillow, tear tracks were clearly visible on her smooth skin. She looked so innocent lying there, Severus thought it was the worst thing about the war raging around them, there were so many children forced to grow up too quickly. All the bad things left his mind leaving him with the single picture of lost innocence burned into his psyche. He could not explain why but in that moment he knew he had to do everything in his power to protect her, she really was brilliant he could admit that and it would be such a waste if she were to die now.
He began his silent vow of protection by lifting her into his arms, wrapping his cloak around them both to protect them form the elements. As the sun dipped below the horizon bathing the world in darkness Severus cradled the girl in his arms and began the trip back to the castle.
Hermione was comfortable. She did not remember going to bed, the last thing she remembered was lying down outside by the lake. She began to stretch her arms over her head, letting out a small 'mewl' as her shoulder clicked. Her plain school blouse road up exposing her toned stomach.