Severus was sat in his headquarters in the dungeons as he finished off the last few letters to complete his crossword and tossed the newspaper onto his desk. "Accio" he gestured his wand to the pile of un-marked essays he had on the shelf. They flew from across the room to the desk that he was sitting at. How fun, he stared down at the pile looking at it in utter disgust before he started to mark them and began to think about what he had witnessed earlier that evening with Miss Granger. Umbridge is completely out of control. He expected her to be harsh, but not like this. He remembered Granger's face, flooded with tears looking up at him for some sort of help, then another thing crossed his mind, Why the hell has she been smiling at me in lessons and constantly watching my every move? he shivered at the thought. Then he started to think about the portraits; Dilys and Phineas had been avoiding him still, and had acted even more strangely when they did see him. Poppy hadn't even been around for ages, she'd just stayed down in the hospital wing. I'll find out later. He was enjoying his peaceful nights down in his headquarters without being summonned. He was actually starting to recover properly from the last time, he couldn't remember much of it but the last thing he remembered was grasping hold of the door to the hospital wing before collapsing and as he collapsed he remembered hearing footsteps from outside the hospital wing, as if they were heading towards him and he remembered the confusion at who it could have been. It couldn't have been Poppy, she rarely left the doors of that place. He stopped marking the current paper that he was on and stared blankly at the dull wall opposite him he looked as if he'd just seen something horrifying as another thought popped up into his head. Wait. The sympathetic smiles... Oh no... It couldn't have been... could it? I suppose that would explain all the odd behaviour. Brilliant, that's all I need, an annoying little Gryffindor giving me petty sympathy. I hope they haven't told her anything...' He really didn't want to have to sit there and put up with Hermione Granger knowing all about his life as some sort of double agent, neither did he want to explain the reasons behind it. What on earth was she doing down there anyway?. He threw all of those thoughts astray for now, he wanted a peaceful night. But for once in a probably long, long time, Severus really wished that he was wrong. Severus' arm began to itch and burn slightly, 'it's been a while, I was rather enjoying my time off'. He pulled out his mask and cloak then rolled up his sleeve to answer the call.
After being told by Phineas that Professor Snape had been summonned, Hermione made her way rather anxiously to the hospital wing. She needed to speak to someone properly about Professor Snape's life, she had to get it all off her chest, she'd said bits to Harry but quite frankly Harry had been too shocked at the fact that Dumbledore had never told him anything of it. She'd also learned that Harry was finding these Horcruxes with Dumbledore and he was destroying them, she was rather frustrated that her and Ron couldn't go with them, they've stood by Harry for so long now, why wasn't Dumbledore letting them go along? She arrived at the hospital wing and was greeted by Poppy who gave her a cup of tea as they sat down on two chairs beside one of the hospital beds. "Hermione, I believe you have something to get off your chest" Poppy said, sipping her tea. Hermione shuffled in her seat and sipped her tea, not knowing where to start; "Yes..." she said awkwardly. "It's about Professor Snape, Madam Pomfrey. I... I'm just struggling to...well come to terms with it all really" she added looking rather nervous about the whole subject. "Well my dear, that's perfectly normal, I wouldn't expect anything less" the nurse smiled. "Severus has been such a key part in this war, he's the reason we have been able to fight back" she added. Hermione shook her head "No, it's not just that. It's about all of this stuff... with Harry's dad... and Sirius" she replied. "Oh, I see. Well I'm not sure how it all started, but I'll do my best to try and explain... some reason for it". She cleared her throat; "Severus grew up in a very rough estate where he lived with his parents. His mother was a very clever witch, and his father was an abusive alcoholic muggle, he w-" Hermione gasped "Professor Snape is a half-blood? But he's head of Slytherin house! Half-blood isn't as bad as what I am considered to be, but still, Slytherin was always a place for pure-bloods" Hermione said, looking at the back of her hand where the words 'I am just a mudblood' were still engraved, it had faded a little and the pain had gone, but it was still visible. Poppy continued; "Yes, he is. Not many people know about his blood type and I hope you aren't going to add to the ones who already know? No? Good, thank you. Now let me continue... Yes, Severus came from a very rough background, he was abused badly by his father. By the time Severus was ready to come to Hogwarts, he was a ruined young boy. He was filled with so much anger and hurt, but he never showed it, not once did he ever show it. It seems he's had these high walls for a very long time Hermione. However, he fell in love..." Poppy paused for a moment and Hermione leaned in closer to her, she wasn't the usual gossiping, bitchy teenager, but this did interest her. "Yes Hermione, Professor Snape, the heartless bastard of a potions master you have, fell in love once. However the young lady didn't feel the same and chose Potter Senior instead. One day James and Sirius were bored, and they saw Severus being friendly with James' girlfriend and well... that's where it all started. Severus was picked on by the Maraurders; James, Sirius, Remus and Peter... all through Hogwarts".Poppy paused and drank some more of her tea as she allowed Hermione moments to take it all in, "Wow... I'd never have thought this" Hermione said, feeling rather sad and sympathetic for Snape. Then she sadness faded, his reaction would be hilarious if he knew I was sitting here feeling sorry for him. She smiled to herself; "Carry on, please... before he comes back" she added and Poppy did so. "Very well. There was one particular encounter that shocked me the most, young Mr Black and Mr Potter... well they tried to... kill Severus" Poppy stopped, she wasn't used to telling anyone about this, she drank more tea and Hermione began to shake as all of that sadness and sympathy came back, with a few more feelings that she didn't quite understand but she was sure anger was in one of them. "W-What happened?" Hermione asked. Regaining control of her emotions Poppy continued "Young Severus turned to Potter's lover and asked her to help him. But she didn't, and he... he made the mistake in calling her... a mudblood. Now Hermione you can't be angry with him for-" Hermione shook her head "I'm not angry with him Madam Pomfrey, I do understand" she said, and she was telling the truth. "Good" Poppy replied "Well obviously, this young lady didn't understand, and that was the end of their friendship. Severus was furious with himself". Hermione interrupted at that point, "Madam Pomfrey, do you think that's why he became a death eater? Not for revenge, I mean because he felt like he didn't belong anywhere and death eaters sort of offer belonging to something?" She asked and Poppy smiled back at her "Yes Hermione, I'm quite sure that is the exact reason that Severus joined them". Hermione thought to herself for a moment then asked another question; "Madam Pomfrey, didn't Professor Snape tell any of the teachers about what happened?" she asked. And at this point Poppy looked down at the floor "Yes, he did. And so did I. But... they weren't interested. They always made Severus out to be the bad one. Oh he wasn't a saint Hermione, he found some dark spells and used them on the Maraurders but... the Maraurders outnumbered him by One to Four. If I was in his position, I'd have probably done some dark things to them if I could". Hermione nodded in agreement, "is there anything else I should know then Madam Pomfrey?" Poppy nodded "Yes... Severus' love and young Mr Potter had a child together. Severus was in love with the mother of your best friend. You can't tell him Hermione, you really can't. But the night that Harry's parents were murdered, Severus had found out just moments after it had actually happened, and it broke him. He wasn't involved in it Hermione, he really had no idea until Pettigrew told him. I have already asked him all of this, you know if it was some sort of revenge and he broke down in front of me kneeled to the floor and promised me that he played no part in it, the fact that he thought I believed that he did made him so weak. Anway... Severus hexed Pettigrew and made his way over to the Potter's house. Then realising that Harry was alive, he turned to Dumbledore, and said he'd give anything to help him take down the Dark Lord". Hermione was in tears, she couldn't hold them back anymore, "And Professor Dumbledore asked him to be his spy, and to help him look after Harry" Hermione said, finishing it off for Poppy who nodded at her. "Read them medical records in your own time Hermione" Poppy said. "I will, so will I be helping you aid him tonight?" Hermione asked. "No, you'll watch and get a good idea of the spells I use. And well, we'll be telling Severus tonight too, he won't be too badly harmed". Hermione nodded then all of a sudden the pair of them jumped out of their skins as a rather familiar deep, exhausted voice spoke from behind them "Tell me what?" there stood Severus with his arms folded, he looked tired but curious as he glared at Poppy. His robes were torn and cuts showed through the tares, he was covered in blood from head to toe but he was obviously hiding any pain. His face was as expressionless as ever, the only real feeling he was showing was tiredness, but that wasn't really a weakness and it couldn't be helped. It did mean that he would be even more defiant and as snappy as ever and he clearly didn't want to be kept waiting in the dark by what was going on at the moment.
Hermione froze in her seat, she couldn't look at him. She dabbed at her eyes to wipe the tears and looked at Poppy who was staring at Severus looking rather shocked. "Severus... I don't think now is the time" Poppy said shakily. "Oh just tell me, I know something's been going on for a while and I have a strong idea of what it is, either way I know I'm not going to like it, get it over with" he barked. Poppy looked nervously at Hermione to see if she was going to tell him herself, but Hermione was in too much shock and Poppy looked back at a rather impatient looking Snape. "Very well Severus, I shall keep it short and sweet and then we can look at you" Poppy responded. Hermione's stomach was churning, Oh god... he's going to kill me. "Young Miss Granger here wishes to study healing and she's a very fast learner, she needs it to help Potter if he is ever in need of aid, or anyone else on our side for that matter" she smiled slightly. "Absoloutely not! No way Poppy am I letting this happen. Not if I have anything to do with it" Severus growled looking angrily at Poppy who stood up and shouted back at him, "Severus Snape! This is MY hopsital wing in case you have forgotten. What I say goes". Severus backed off a little for a while and the two of them just stood staring at each other. After a while he sighed "I suppose I get no say in this at all" he said, now glaring at Hermione who still didn't look at him. "So, let's get this over with". He started to make his way to the bed that Hermione was both sat beside. Please don't look at me. Please don't look at me. She watched him with her head bowed down a little as he perched onto the edge of the bed facing Poppy, with his back to Hermione. She exhaled slowly. Thank God for that. Hermione watched as Poppy muttered a few spells and moved her wand at the cuts. He didn't even twitch, not once. "Not too bad tonight Severus" Poppy smiled as she continued to heal the cuts on him. "No, the Dark Lord focused on someone else tonight" Severus said rather calmly. Hermione wasn't listening much, she was making mental notes of the spells that were being used. After a short while Poppy finished "Right, Severus I think it's only best if you escort Hermione to the dormitory. That way if either of you get caught, I'm sure you can come up with an intelligent excuse" she said looking at them both. Oh this is not happening. Hermione looked up at her potions master who was very clearly not warming to the idea. He stood up and looked at Poppy then at Hermione, "very well. Miss Granger". He moved to the door slowly, half-waiting for her. She exchanged glances with Poppy nervously then left the hospital wing before him. "She was here the other night wasn't she?" Severus asked Poppy who nodded, he sighed and groaned frowning at her then followed Hermione to the Gryffindor common room. They walked in complete silence for a while until even Severus found it too awkward and broke the ice, clearing his throat he glanced at her hand "How's the hand?" he asked. Hermione smiled a little "it's getting much better, thanks to you" she replied. He didn't look back at her, and they remained silent until they arrived outside the portrait that held the passage to the common room. "Not a word to any of your little friends Miss Granger" Severus said sounding rather tired, he was slightly slurring. She smiled to herself then looked up at him, he was staring back down at her; his eyes were black and his face was pale. She looked at his features slowly; remembering everything that had happened to this man that stood in front of her and everything that he was doing for their side in the was. I really did get you all wrong - but then everyone else has too. She smiled at him again "I already promised Madam Pomfrey, but yes I promise you too sir. Good night Professor - and thanks for letting me do this. I just want to help". He didn't say anything back, but his eyes softened a little and he gave what appeared to be a half-smile before turning around and walking away.
Hope I'm not moving too fast! More of Umbridge coming up soon. How lovely...