Ok guys. Here's another update. I hope you like it!

Severus had been searching the castle for hours. He had been so sure that she would make it easy to find her for the same reason that he had not bothered to ward his floo: she needed to stay in his chambers in order to brew Lupin's Wolfsbane. Even her little trip to the apothecary proved that. And yet, he had not seen hide nor tail of her. Where would she go? It was like working out a puzzle. She would want it to be somewhere he would find her without it being obvious that she was waiting for him. So far, he had already checked the library, the Owlry, Gryffindor Tower, everywhere in the dungeons, the kitchens, The Great Hall, The Green Houses, Hagrid's Hut, and the Grounds. He was losing patience with the insufferable chit.

As he passed the stairs that led up to the Astronomy Tower, he paused. Surely not. He had avoided this particular part of the castle ever since that fateful night many months ago. It would be painful for him to return to it now. Perhaps that is her intention. It seemed like something that she would do. With that in mind, he started up the spiral staircase of the dark tower. The last time he had passed this way, he had been running to fulfill that hateful task. Now, he was walking slowly, forcing himself to dwell in the agony of that recollection.

The door at the top was slightly ajar, so he knew he had been correct to assume she would come here. But it made this so much more difficult to know that she would be there when he returned to the scene where everything had fallen apart; something he had not been able to prevent. He drew in a long breath and pushed open the door.

She was standing at the rail, where Albus had been, looking over it into the darkness beyond. Severus felt himself flinch at the picture. Her message was obvious: Albus had not been the only one he had hurt that night. He allowed the door to fall back into its frame with a bang and warded it shut in the off chance she would attempt an escape. Predictably, she spun around, as if she had not expected to see him. He was impressed to see that her acting had improved, however. That's a start.

Hermione did not speak, but squared her jaw and lifted her chin in defiance, forcing Severus to walk toward her. He did not want to make this any more difficult than it already had to be. "Thought you could escape me, Granger?" he commanded, playing his own part resentfully. She knew damn well he would find her here and he wasn't foolish enough to believe that this had been her best attempt to hide. Nevertheless, he had to pretend, lest she realize that he knew her plans to brew in his lab. That would not do.

"Be assured, the floo will no longer be at your disposal. You should have hidden away with your coward friends while you had the chance." That provoked a response.

"My friends are not cowards!" He could hear her voice trembling with restrained rage and belatedly noticed the evidence of her crying. So, she has been here long enough to run out of tears. Good.

"Debatable," was all he said. Then, he stepped up next to her to look over the rail himself. He wanted to pay his respects in some way, and didn't care if she wondered at his motives. After all, she could never jump to the correct conclusion. He could not see the ground in the dark of the night, so it seemed as if the tower rose from nothingness to its great height from which his friend had fallen. And to nothingness the wizard had indeed fallen. The memory hit him with such force that he found he was unable to swallow the lump in his throat. He had expected this to be difficult, but he had not been prepared for such an assault on his emotions. Part of him wanted to draw the girl into his arms and weep into her hair. He needed her support, now more than ever. But he could never have it.

She could never know.

And in that moment, though she stood beside him, so achingly close and far too far away, Severus had never felt more alone.

His face was an expressionless mask, however, and there was no way the girl could see his anguish. She would only see his indifference. As it should be.

Something had changed in the atmosphere the moment her professor had stepped up to the rail. His expression was all but apathetic, but his focus was no longer on her. That much was certain and in that instant she knew that he was remembering that night. He showed no reaction to the dark night around them or the tangible pain in the air and sense of loss lingering in the dark shadows below. But Severus Snape was no fool and she knew he could feel it too. Magic still swirled around this Tower as if something remained from that terrible night. The dark deed that he had committed here was imprinted in the very stone.

And she could not believe that the man standing next to her had been the one to cause it.

He did not show it, but Hermione was sure he had been affected by revisiting this place, as she had known he would be. The mere fact that he had allowed himself to lose focus on her was proof of that. After all, she was the only reason he had returned. Does he regret killing the old man? Hermione didn't dare hope.

It all passed in an instant and he was looking at her once more. But she couldn't help the feeling that something had changed in his eyes, despite their indifferent façade. There was something lurking in those dark depths, but she would never be able to see it.

Finally, he grabbed her arm roughly and led her toward the door.

The next day was the first day of brewing and Hermione was more than ready to begin. She told herself not to take the fact that he had allowed her to keep her wand as more proof that he wanted her to brew the potions. Knowing him, he had given her that small amount of power just to make her inability to escape all the more frustrating, and to prove that he was far more powerful than she. Arrogant bastard.

She had noticed in the past couple of days that Snape had not spent much time in his own chambers, so she took that as a good sign that he would not discover her work. A disillusionment spell would keep the cauldron out of his sight whenever it needed to sit for a few days.

Happily, Hermione began the process of readying ingredients and a cauldron. It was lucky she had his notes in that beaded bag because this potion was very difficult. By the time she was done for the day, she was sore and exhausted, bodily and magically. And for a moment, it felt like old times again. But when she heard a commotion in the other room, she hastily placed the cauldron in a corner with a disillusionment spell on it and tiptoed into his bedroom to see what the matter was.

The noises were coming from the living room and the door leading to it was cracked. Through it she could hear the distinct drawl of Lucius Malfoy. But something was different. The normally smooth arrogance of his voice was marred by a certain measure of fear.

"Severus," he was saying, "he won't stop until Draco is dead. You know I'm right."

"The Dark Lord has far greater concerns than punishing you, Lucius."

"And yet, he still manages to do it with some frequency. I am not a fool, Severus. He will ensure that my family is dead by the end of this war."

"What are you suggesting, Lucius?" Here, the blond man paused. A nervous tension was palpable even on the other side of the door.

"Well, suppose I were to take my family… he has greater priorities than hunting me down…"

"You cannot run from the Dark Lord, Lucius. Karkaroff learned that the hard way. As have many others. You are not a fool, Lucius, but you are beginning to sound like one."

"You do not understand my position, Severus! You do not have a family! For them, I would risk anything." The heavy truth of that statement seemed to hang in the air and Hermione failed to suppress a gasp at the realization of just what that could mean. "What was that?!" Lucius shrieked, clearly on edge. Suddenly, the door had been flung open and Hermione was standing there, wide-eyed looking into the living room where the elder Malfoy had risen from his seat, his wand drawn. For a moment, she thought she might die. Then, Snape casually disarmed the man and began to explain in a slow, indifferent drawl.

"It's only my little pet, Lucius. Nothing to be concerned about."

"Your pet?!" exclaimed the blond. "Hermione Granger, Severus?! She is wanted by the Dark Lord!" Hermione could feel her heart beating fast. She had made a grievous mistake in eavesdropping. If Malfoy reported her, all of their secrets would be easily ripped from her mind. She was not enough of a fool to believe that Occluding Bellatrix Lestrange was the same as Occluding Voldemort, himself.

"Not to worry, Lucius. I have already thoroughly examined the contents of her mind. Any secrets he may have found valuable have already been passed on." That cannot be. "Come, Granger." Hermione was not foolish enough to disobey. She walked slowly toward the armchair where the dark wizard reclined. When she was within arm's reach, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto his lap. She cried out in surprise as she landed on his thighs and he quickly shifted her so that her legs were stretched out between his and her back was nestled between his right side and the arm of the chair. His right arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her in place and his left confined her to his lap, by resting on her stomach. "You see, Lucius. She is nothing more than a pet, now. A good, obedient, little mudblood."

His hand was rubbing her stomach in a very possessive way that made her heart pound in her chest. As he spoke, he allowed it to curve around her hip and squeeze her thigh to demonstrate her purpose to the blond man. "I think, Lucius, that the Dark Lord does not need to know about my little pet, just as he does not need to know about your current… concerns. Don't you agree?" Hermione watched the blond man pale and nod fervently. But his brow furrowed.

"Why her, Severus? Potter's friend, wanted by the Dark Lord, and not even the prettiest of your students." Hermione wasn't even hurt by this blatant insult. She had never thought of herself as pretty, anyway. But she was concerned about the note of suspicion in Malfoy's voice. Her breath hitched as her professor's hand moved up to cup her breast.

"Miss Granger has always been spirited," he was saying as he pinched a nipple through her top. Despite herself, an intense heat was pooling between her legs and her stomach was tightening strangely. "Can you honestly picture me with a girl who would… consent… without a struggle?" Lucius laughed a little at that.

"I suppose not."

"Well, then, Lucius. If you are quite through, I have some other matters to… attend to." His hand was travelling down again, curving around her hip to squeeze her little bum. The pressure was becoming more urgent and rough as he continued his ministrations. Lucius only nodded, but she could see that the display was arousing him as well as he made his way to the floo and left his friend alone with Hermione. The instant he has gone, however, Snape's caresses stopped and he threw her on the floor, rising to stand over her.

"You fool!" he shouted. "Do you have any idea what he could have done with you?!" Hermione's eyes widened, staring up at her professor. His arousal was apparent, despite his fury. "If you were taken to the Dark Lord, you would suffer endless torture! You would beg for death." Hermione blinked up at him.

"Why do you care?" It was out of her mouth before she could stop herself and she knew he had no answer that would be acceptable. For a moment, the question merely hung between them. Then, he reached down and twisted his hand in her hair, lifting her up by it until she was standing. Then, he pulled her against him with his other arm, maintaining his grip on her curls. He brought his face down to hers and froze just inches away from her mouth.

"Because, Miss Granger, I want you for myself." With that, his mouth came down on hers, hard, punishing, painful. The contact of his lips on hers sent shivers down her spine, but the force behind his movements brought tears to her eyes. By the time he pulled away, she was shaking and breathless and crying. Thrusting her away from him, Severus Snape didn't bat an eye when she collapsed onto the floor in wracking sobs. He left her there for the confines of his bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

Teehee. Don't hate me! How did you like that? :}