A/N: I don't own Harry Potter

This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Auction Prompt 4: "But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all." — 10 Things I Hate About You

Word Count: 725

Severus stared at the witch sitting next to his bed. He'd finally managed to open his eyes only to find himself still alive with Miss Hermione Granger sitting next to his bedside. She looked horrible, her eyes were red rimmed and she was covered in blood. She was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He couldn't help but think how amazing she looked, how much like some kind of warrior she looked. He hated these feelings.

He looked at the blood covering her. It speckled her face and arms. There was a smear across her chest, as if she'd wrapped herself around the wound. He had a sinking feeling the blood was his. She shifted when he woke, looking up from the book she'd been staring at. He could tell she hadn't been reading it. It was upside down and last time he'd checked, Miss Granger was not in a habit of reading books upside down. A weak smile spread across her pale face when she saw he was awake.

"Where am I?" he asked. His voice was raspy, he was sure he had some damage to his vocal chords. He remembered being in the Shrieking Shack, facing Lord Voldemort. He remembered the snake lunging for him.

"Hospital wing, you're going to live, sir," she stated. He blinked, looking at her. She was smiling at him, almost as if she was glad he was alive.

"You hate me. You all hate me, just like you should. I'm a horrible man, Hermione," Severus stated. He thought about what she'd just said. He was laying in the hospital wing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Apparently Madame Pomfrey had managed to stabilize him. Although he'd lost a fair amount of blood. Most of it was currently covering Hermione. She'd saved him, pouring potion after potion down his throat until he'd started to breathe again. It was that moment, that life or death moment when she realized she couldn't live in denial anymore, she couldn't keep her feelings secret.

"There's a lot of things I hate, sir. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all. In fact, it's kind of the opposite, if I want to be honest. I love you, Severus Snape. I am tired of denying it. I'm tired of pretending that I don't feel this way. I know you're going to say I'm nothing but a child. You're going to say that I deserve someone else, that you don't feel the same way, but right now, the way you're looking at me. You want me as badly as I want you. Why can't you just admit there's something in your heart besides hate?"

"You'll betray me. Everyone I ever care about betrays me, hurts me," Severus muttered. Hermione grabbed his hand and held it in her own.

"I'm not them, Severus."

He blinked at her using his first name. She'd saved him, that probably gave her some hold over him. "I'm not your father, I'm not Lily, yes I know about that. Harry's got a bit of a big mouth," Hermione laughed. Severus smirked. Hermione knew that was as close to a smile as she was going to get from him.

"You're only saying this because I almost died. I should have died. My life wasn't worth saving, Miss Granger," he stated. She glared at him.

"Of course it was, sir. We're both adults now, please, call me 'Hermione'."

"No, Miss Granger, you are still a student unless you managed to pass your N.E. while on the run?'

"No, sir, I haven't, but I am scheduled to take them as soon as possible, I'm not going to flunk out of school. Fine, after I pass my exams, it's Hermione, got it?"

"I highly doubt I'll even see you after then. You have a whole life ahead of you. You're wasting your time on me, Miss Granger. Wasting your time and your love," he murmured as he started falling asleep from both the potions and the excitement of the day. Hermione shook her head, leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"I'll be right here when you wake up," she whispered. "And I love you, despite what you might think, despite what you might want, I will always love you."