A/N Alright you guys, even though I didn't get to twenty reviews, I decided to post the next chapter anyways, especially as I won't be able to update until Friday. But don't worry, the upcoming chapters just get better and better, and I swear you all will adore them! So please, review, review, and review some more, and thank you for putting my story on alert, and those who have reviewed so far!
Hermione gaped at Snape. Nearly raped? "I, er – what?"
Severus glared witheringly at at the gaping witch in front of him. "I really would prefer to not repeat that. Trust me, it was not pleasant to see two muggle pigs trying and succeeding to tear your clothes off."
Hermione looked at Severus, a flush slowly suffusing her face. Her eyes stung from the tears that were gathering. "How could I have been so stupid?" She muttered to herself as she tried to register the fact that she had almost been raped.
"I would hope that was a rhetorical question," Severus intoned, as he tried to avoid her helpless gaze.
Hermione pulled her legs up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her knees. She had to work to withhold the flood of tears that threatened to flood. She was nearly raped, and if it hadn't been for the pure chance of the man standing in front of her, she would have, and probably been left for dead. She shuddered, and thanked every deity she knew of for Snape having been in the right place at the right time. "I don't know what to say," she stated tonelessly as she stared blankly at the upholstery of the couch.
"There is nothing to say."
"I feel like I should thank you, or something, or repay you –" she trailed off hopelessly.
"Miss Granger, I would have done the same for any meandering, intoxicated woman who had the atrocious foresight to not bring anyone of stable mind with her to a dingy, hole-in-the-wall pub."
"I had my reasons," she said weakly.
"I hardly think any of them would justify your thoughtless actions," he replied disparagingly. "It is never a safe idea to enter a pub and drink yourself into oblivion without bringing someone else
Hermione didn't know what to say to his brutally honest words, so she remained silent. She was still reeling inwardly from the news, and suddenly found she wished she hadn't badgered the dark haired man to tell her. Now that she knew, it put everything in a new light, and she couldn't understand why. He had rescued her, so to say, from the hands of vile men, and thus far she had repaid him by taking up space in his home, and touching his personal possessions.
Severus looked at the witch in front of him. Her amber eyes were staring at the floor, and she was shaking slightly. Aside from physical comfort, he hadn't the foggiest on how to make it easier on her. He knew it was a lot to take in, which is why he didn't want to tell her in the first place. He mentally berated himself for caving, it obviously was too much for her to handle. He watched as a single tear slid down her cheek, and got lost in the mass of frizzy curls that surrounded her face. "Miss Granger," he began.
"Hermione," she said stiffly. "Call me Hermione. None of this Granger nonsense."
Severus scowled. He had wanted to avoid any more personal intimacy with the titch of a woman. "Very well," he replied witheringly. "It could have been much worse," he added softly.
Hermione nodded, and remained silent. She stood up slowly and looked at Severus beseechingly. "I don't suppose I could have a room?" she asked quietly.
Severus nodded, and stood up briskly. He led her upstairs to the room he had placed her in the night before, and closed the door after she had walked in. He went back downstairs, and sat down in the kitchen, he had no appetite, but his house elf, Fergus, would be a bit put off if Severus didn't partake in the luncheon the elf had prepared.
He turned as he heard the elf walk in. The big eared creature placed a tray on the table carefully.
"Masters lunch," the elf said as he bowed, the tartan piece of cloth around his waist swishing imperiously.
Severus glared at the elf. "How many times have I told you not to refer to me as 'master', Fergus?" he asked witheringly.
"I am sorry, sir," the elf replied, placing emphasis on the new title. "I will not let it happen again."
"You always say that," Severus grumbled as he took a bite of the steaming reuben sandwich in front of him. "Be gone with you."
The elf's lips twitched, and he disappeared with a loud cracking noise.
Severus had inherited the elf from a distant cousin on his mother's side, and the elf had an attitude unlike anything he had ever seen. He didn't mind though, the elf's subtle banter kept him on his toes, and he enjoyed how the elf wasn't as slavish as others he had come across. He finished half of the sandwich, and stood up. He needed some air.
Hermione sat on the bed, staying perfectly still. She stared at the intricate designs on the rug in front of the bed, entranced. Severus Snape had saved her from being violated, from being used in the worst way possible, and most likely from death. She wondered why she had done it. He had casually brushed off inquiry when she had asked him what had made him follow her, but she wondered if he would have done it for anyone, or if it was just because she had saved his life on the night of the Final Battle.
She winced slightly. That made it seem so much more impersonal, to think that he had followed her and rescued her all to just repay some sort of debt. She wanted to believe it was more, but was it? Hermione frowned. It would be more like the man she knew as her former Potions professor to simply follow her out of some inane need to repay a debt.
Hermione slowly laid out on the bed, and switched to staring at the ceiling. If that were the case, why was she hanging around? Even though he was being kind, in his own way, she wondered if she were even welcome here. It was Severus Snape she was staying with, after all.
She grimaced. The only place she had to stay was here, if he would let her. Ron was at their apartment, and the lease was in Ron's name, as they had paid for it with his Quidditch earnings. There wasn't any way she could go back to that. The mere thought of the redheads name and her blood boiled with rage. That prick. Cheating on her, in their own bed. If it hadn't been for him, last night would have never happened.
She stood up as the sudden burst of hatred for Ronald swept through her. She wanted to go back. She wanted to go back, and hex him. Maybe a permanent rendition of the Jellylegs Jinx? She growled, and slammed her fist into the mattress beneath her. Ron needed some consequence for what he did, although the rational part of Hermione's mind told her that she shouldn't go back. Maybe it was best she stay her, at least as long as Snape didn't hex her for intruding on his begrudging hospitality.
She was startled from her thoughts by a loud tapping on the window. Confused, she got up and opened the window, and a large tawny barn owl came in. It hooted at her, and stuck out its leg. She took the offered note, and opened it.
Her face paled as she read the note, and her mouth opened and closed in an attempt to process what was on the paper. She read it over several times, and then dropped it. Anger began to course through her system again, and she bit back a scream of fury. First Ron cheating on her, now this? What did she do to deserve this? She picked up the owl, and threw it out of the window, watching as it struggled to take flight, and then flap steadily after it regained its balance. It turned its head and hooted angrily at her, and then flew off.
She turned back to the room, finding her anger gone as quickly as it came. Reality slowly hit her as she realized what the words on the note meant. She was basically homeless, had no where to go, and none of her friends had even bothered to send an owl for her. All she had was her meager possessions, and on top of everything, she had to find out how long Snape would bear her presence, as she knew he would no doubt tire of her, and soon.
Hermione groaned, feeling defeated, and flopped down on the bed. She had never expected her life to turn out like this. Cheated on, homeless, essentially friendless, and staying under the hospitality of a man she knew didn't like her, or want anything to do with her. What he had done thus far was only because his sense of honor wouldn't allow him to do anything else. Hermione raised a hand to her face, and found her cheeks wet. She was crying, and she hated it. Hermione had always hated to cry, it made her eyes puffy and itchy, and she hated the headache that ensued.
Sniffing slightly, she sat up and conjured a tissue. Blowing her nose loudly, she sat there as the same words ran repeatedly throughout her head.
"I got fired," she said in a small voice to the empty room.
A few hours later, Severus returned from his walk feeling slightly more refreshed, and walked into the sitting room with the intention of reading. He did not expect to see a furious looking Hermione stalking back in forth in front of the fireplace, swearing repeatedly, and he stopped abruptly.
"That bloody fucking–" Hermione fumed as she paused to take a breath. "No good greedy, slimy fastidious pr –"
Severus cleared his throat harshly.
"Do you have an owl?" Hermione said as she noticed the tall figure in the doorway. Her fists were clenched at her sides, and she looked like she would hex the first person to rub her the wrong way. Hermione felt it, too. Her insides were simmering with barely controlled rage. First her boyfriend, well, ex now, shagging some whore in their bed, and now her boss fired her over absolutely nothing. She had the next four days off, she didn't miss a shift. It was absolute rubbish, she thought angrily. "I need to send a note to someone."
"Miss Granger, seeing as I hardly know anyone with whom I would take the time to owl, I would think not."
"Can't you ever just answer straight out?" she snapped angrily and continued pacing back and forth. "You don't have an owl, I get it, but you could have said so instead of spewing such a roundabout answer!"
Severus arched an eyebrow and cautiously sat down in his customary armchair. "Miss Granger, before you explode and damage my living space, sit down and regain control of yourself," he said commandingly.
Hermione glared at Severus, but did as he said. She obeyed out of habit, it had been a while since she had heard his voice in commanding tones, and the urge to do as he asked before he took house points away was too great to resist.
"Now," Severus began slowly, as he eyed the fuming witch, "what could have possibly elicited such a...colorful reaction from you?" he asked steadily.
"I was fired," came the short reply. Hermione looked away angrily, her curls looking like they carried an electric current.
Hermione? Fired? Severus raised his eyebrow further. Her work, as far as he could remember, had always been perfect in every way. He wondered what possible reason an employer would have for firing her. "Why?"
"I have no fucking clue!" Hermione shrieked, as she made to get up. Severus swiftly stood up and stopped her, shoving her none too gently back down on the couch.
"Granger," he said as he stood up. "Remain seated, or I will restrain you," he snarled and remained in front of her until he was satisfied that she would stay seated.
Hermione knew the man kept his threats most of the time, and sat down, choosing instead to glare at him in an attempt to acquit some of her anger. Her amber eyes glinted furiously as she watched the black robed man sit down.
Severus settled himself, and looked at the witch with an indifferent expression. Even though he was fully confident in his magical powers, it was still a deafening sight to see Hermione Granger in a fit of rage. Her hair was nearly crackling as she looking at him, a venomous look on her delicate face. "Are you no longer on the verge of tearing apart my house brick by brick?"
"No."
"Good. Care to explain exactly why you are this angry?"
"Not particularly."
"Well then, as it is nearly eight, have you decided as to what you are planning on doing for the rest of the evening?" Severus asked calmly, ignoring her short replies.
Hermione stopped glaring. She hadn't a clue as to what she would do. She didn't even pause to consider it, between being furious about Ronald and being fired. Her anger quickly seeped away, and was replaced by worry. "I – I really don't have any idea."
"I suppose it goes without saying then, that my abode is open to you should you decide you need another night," Severus said with a sigh. "As long as you keep your destructive temper to a minimum," he added with a stern glance at Hermione.
Hermione nodded meekly. "Thank you, sir," she replied gratefully.
Severus merely nodded. He raised his wand, and summoned a leather bound volume, cracked it open gently and began to read.
Hermione looked around, wondering what she should do next. She was still inwardly reeling from the fact that Severus had offered her room for another night. She settled on picking up the book she had been reading previously, and immediately buried her nose in it. The two spent the rest of the evening in companionable silence, punctuated only by the soft sounds of pages turning.
Severus finished his novel, and looked up to see Hermione fast asleep on his couch. He frowned, he really would have preferred to not touch her again. As such, he noticed she looked comfortable enough, and wondering about the benefits of just leaving her there to rest. He was interrupted from his musing by a sudden, piercing scream. He started, and finally realized it had come from the unconscious witch on his couch. He got up swiftly and went to the side of the couch, peering down at Hermione.
She arched back grotesquely and let out another agonizing scream. She twisted and turned in the throes of her nightmare, consequentially knocked the vase on the coffee table next to the couch off and it shattered into a dozen pieces. Severus scowled, and made to fix the glass when Hermione's heel connected with his shin. "Fuck!" he swore loudly as he clutched the throbbing part of his leg.
"The damned witch needed to be restrained," he muttered angrily to himself. Hermione was still thrashing about, and moaning pathetically in her sleep. Her face shone with a sheen of sweat, and her eyes fluttered back and forth beneath their lids. The witch kicked out violently again, and hit Severus in the back of the knee. He went down, scraping himself on the glass shards of the vase. Swearing violently again, he got up quickly, and grabbed the thrashing witch, not caring anymore that he was holding her.
He held her strongly in his arms as she muttered incoherently and struggled against his grasp. He couldn't believe Hermione was still asleep, his outburst had been loud enough to wake the dead. He held on to her tightly, one arm under her back, and the other under and around her knees to keep her errant legs from injuring himself again.
She started to quiet down, slowly relaxing into Severus's grasp. She tossed her head back and forth, and then buried her face into his chest, heaving a sigh and remaining still. Severus looked down at the witch he held in his arms.
Groaning, he leaned back into the couch. He was a strong man, and kept himself physically fit, but her terror induced thrashing had required all of his strength to subdue, and he found himself knackered from the effort. He held still as he waited for her breathing to return to normal, and Severus cautiously stood up and took a step.
When she didn't move, he continued out of the room and up the stairs. Nudging the door to the guest bedroom opened, he quickly walked towards the bed and deposited Hermione on the duvet as gently as possible. He turned to leave, but didn't even take a step before a low moan reached his ears.
He looked down at Hermione to see that her breathing had become erratic again, the harsh sound grated on Severus's ears, and her moans were quickly becoming screams.
Severus quickly grabbed her, laying down besides her and using his legs to keep hers from kicking out. He held her arms tightly by her side, and she quieted again almost instantly.
He loosened his grip some, and Hermione rolled over in his arms to bury her face in his chest again. Severus looked down at the witch in his arms in disbelief. He couldn't possibly stay here all night, holding the pathetic woman, but every time he made to get up she started to get agitated again. He swore under his breath, and settled down under the duvet. Hermione gripped his thigh with her legs with almost inhuman strength, clinging to him as thought he were the last vestiges of her life.
Severus stared up at the ceiling. If there were any situations he would have gladly avoided, laying in bed with an unconscious Hermione wrapped steadfastly around his person would be high on the list. He growled softly to himself, and closed his eyes, falling almost instantly asleep, and slept soundly through out the night for the first time more than a decade.