Chapter 59: The Space Between Lives
{A/N: Here's Another Update...}
My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
The Common Room, Gryffindor Dorm, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World...
A ticking clock had gotten Hermione Granger's attention as she did her best to go about her day "business as usual". She had been staring at the same two lines in the book she had attempted to read two hours prior. She had done her best to do some reading but the lines often began to blur and her mind went past the page and right back down to the darkened dungeon quarters of her Potions Professor husband.
He had been quite different from the man she had believed she had known since she first arrived at Hogwarts at the age of twelve.
Her rather intimate experiances with him in close quarters had given her a whole new perspective about the man she found herself drawn to in the depths of a school girl crush.
She had learned first hand just how dangerous his position as spy for the Order of Phoenix had been. The many scars that lined his pale body were a tell tale sign that for most of his life he'd know nothing outside of physical violence in terms of another's interaction with him. His naturally suspicious mindset had not seemed so infuriating given what he had gone through.
Before she had always been frustrated by his reluctance to trust even his students when they'd been around him. Thinking back to all those times she taken it into account that he seemed as jumpy as a spring loaded cat ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
Had he always been that way? Was there ever a moment when there has been any relative peace in his life?
Hermione's curious mind had seemed to be pulled into another direction following this latest round of questions. The memory of just how beaten and bloodied he had been upon his return from the death eater camp had lingered for a few moments before a rather attentive Harry James Potter had gotten her attention.
"Mione?" He called unsure what to do about her silence.
Feeling rather jumpy herself Hermione nearly leapt out of her chair in the wake of being startled.
"Harry!?" She said slightly annoyed at being pulled from her thoughts. "Why'd you have to go and do that?, you bloody scared me!"
Ron seemed to be clueless as to why she had been so upset.
"Are you feeling alright?" Asked Harry concerned. "You've been acting really strange lately."
Hermione sighed settling back down and taking into account about where she had been.
"I'm fine, I've just got a lot on my mind." She replied once more reflecting on her rather strange situation.
"See what all that studying gets you...she's already losing it." chimed Ron unsure of what to make of what seemed to be happening to the most bookish girl in school.
Hermione rolled her eyes and closed the book she had gripped firmly in her hand. It wasn't doing her much good to attempt to study with so many distractions going on. Ron and Harry being one of them.
"Do you think we'll be going back to Sirius's place this summer?" asked Harry taking a glance toward the fireplace.
"Possibly." Agreed Hermione. "We aren't really going to get much planning done with all the spies that are here."
"Spies that happen to be down in the dungeons." Piped Ron bitterly thinking of the possible spies amongst the Slytherins students, Draco Malfoy being one of them. Sensing his stomach on the verge of growling, he pulled a box of crackers from his bag and began eating them as Harry tried to imagine what going back to his godfather's house would be like and Hermione attempted once more to focus on her book.
"I can't wait to see Sirius...he's got loads of experience with things like this...he'll know what to do about Slytherin spies." said Harry seemingly looking forward to seeing his godfather again.
Hermione had not shared her friend's enthusiasm about returning to Sirius Black's manor given the notable friction between the charming Gryffindor whom had often called her "kitten" as a term of endearment and the dour Potions Professor that had been secretly her husband. She foresaw a good deal of arguments and grandstanding between them even if neither Ron nor Harry had not been altogether privy to the never ending rivalry between the two of them.
"I think I'll head to the library." she said in an exasprated tone. "I don't seem to be getting much studying done here with Ron's constant crunching."
Ronald Weasley looked up from his pack of crackers and narrowed his eyes at Hermione. They had not been seeing eye to eye as of late and he wondered if it was due to her having female problems. He had been on the verge of eating another when Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust at the mess of crumbs and salt sprinkles that littered the front of his unappealing yellow shirt.
"Must you eat like a pig all the time?" asked Hermione unwilling to mask her annoyance.
"Must you be a raving lunatic over books all the time?" asked Ron not willing to give an inch in this soon to be started row.
Hermione remained silent as she swiftly packed her things and headed out the door of the common room. She had better things to do than to have to babysit two teenage boys whom were more in clined to either cause trouble or laze about than do any real studying for the up coming classes. Having had her fill of distraction on their part she had made up her mind that she made the right call leaving them behind.
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The Grounds, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World...
The rather preoccupied Hermione Granger had not known it, but she had caught the attention of a sinister looking figure cloaked in shadow as he stood in silence observing her travels with keen sight. She had not been in the least alerted to his presence, as he seemed lost in thought. Obsidian flickered with something akin to malice and reason had he watched her never dearing to approach her lest he bring about unwanted attention to them both.
A chill had set in the air that had been of no consequence to the wizard standing amid the elements, his black teaching robes billowed behind him shrouding his lean pale body as much as the shadows had.
Hermione Granger had been headed someplace in something of a hurry.
He figured she'd gotten into it with either Potter or Weasley, perhaps even both judging by the look of frustration filed across her youthful face. She by all accounts could have the arm of any wizard she chose, yet she had chosen to be married to him of all people. Severus Snape made no sudden moves as Hermione disappeared from view, no doubt aware that a pair of eyes had been on him, the twinkling kind as it were. He simply remained in his position until he noted a rather bold student attempting to break school rules and swiftly approached him out of the shadows terrifying the daring little Gryffindor. Typical. Gryffindor had always been the source of challenge to his patrol and he always managed to catch one when he'd been on duty.
He recognized this little imp of course.
"That'll be ten points from Gryffindor for smoking in the corridors, Mr. Miles." said Snape catching the fifth year student off guard.
He knew what came next, the whimpering and then finally the insults before the eerie silence and disappointment that radiated off both himself and the student unlucky enough to need to be diciplined in his line of sight.
As side from his occasional tumbles in bed with the Granger girl, not much had changed in terms of how he conducted himself despite what the old fool had been fretting over. He still had his life and she had her own.
As it was meant to be.
Yet, the seemingly preoccupied Potions Professor had neglected to notice that once Hermione Granger emerged from the library that had been well passed curfew and he did nothing to ensure that she received detention.