4
She woke up with a start, still panting from the rather erotic fantasy that had plagued her sleep.
Hermione Granger was frustrated. Having been designated as the Golden Girl and the best friend of Harry Potter, Hermione found herself in a frustrating situation. Harry was known for his prowess in dueling and Ron was known for being a hot-headed brute who made it his life goal to prevent any boy from getting past handholding with his little sister. This, in combination with Hermione's bookworm nature, made Hermione untouchable, or at least undesirable, to the male population at Hogwarts. What she lacked in actual physical experience, she made up for in rather vivid fantasies that left her slipping her hand down between her legs every morning in the shower and every night in bed.
It was normal for teenagers to touch themselves the way she did, so she didn't feel too much shame in her self-gratification. However, she did feel some embarrassment from the content of her desires. Hermione had spent the better part of a year having nocturnal fantasies starring herself and the bat of the dungeons, Professor Snape.
Hermione had to admit to herself that their was a certain allure to Professor Snape, but she was frustrated greatly by her inability to actually pursue him since he was her senior in age, academic role, and rank in the Order. What irked her even more is that he was sleeping in a guest room just down the hall, but she would never be able to capitalize on that proximity in the physical sense.
There were some benefits to having Professor Snape staying at Order Headquarters over the summer. He brewed medicinal potions in preparation for the inevitable bloodshed that was looming over everyone's mind. He even allowed Hermione to assist him occasionally with the basics like dittany and pain relief potion if there was a particularly involved potion that required his full attention. Hermione savored these rare occasions and allowed herself to imagine that this time spent with Professor Snape was fueling a positive image of her in his mind.
In the present, Hermione glanced at the clock on the bedside table and noted, with disgust, that it was already four in the morning. She knew that even after slowing her rapidly beating heart, she was not going to be able to fall back asleep. She climbed out of bed, stretching, and she donned her pink bunny slippers and an oversized sweater. She didn't bother to get dressed just yet, as no one was outside of their bedrooms at this hour at Grimmauld. She slowly creeped downstairs, hoping to not wake anyone up in her pursuit of a hot cup of tea. After she had cleared the stairs, she breathed a sigh of relief, walking more confidently down the hallway into the kitchen. She walked in, walked over, and grabbed the kettle on the counter. She turned to walk over to the basin, and she almost dropped the kettle in shock. Professor Snape was sitting at the head of the kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee while reading the previous evening's Prophet. He didn't even raise his eyes as he chided Hermione.
"Miss Granger, you really should make a habit to scan a room before entering it. It would not serve you well to be caught by death eaters because you were in too much of a hurry to have your morning cup of tea."
Hermione blushed furiously. She certainly would have gotten dressed if she would have known that Professor Snape would be awake. She self-consciously tugged on the hem of her sweater, hoping to cover more of her outrageously juvenile pajama shorts. They had cartoon flamingos on them for God's sake. She pulled a hand up to her hair to smooth it down, a gesture that she frequently performed when frazzled. Her internal demeanor turned to one of panic and horror. On a good day, her hair was wild at best. In the morning, it was a bird's nest.
Suddenly, Hermione realized that a minute had passed by without her saying anything or moving.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't think anyone else would be awake. I can make my tea and get out of your way."
Professor Snape finally looked up from his newspaper.
"That won't be necessary, Miss Granger. There is actually something that Minerva and Albus have asked me to speak to you about."
Hermione thought that strange.
"Why wouldn't they come to me directly?"
Professor Snape finally gave her his full attention, putting down the newspaper.
"You should probably make your tea and take a seat before we discuss such serious matters."
Hermione nodded her head, turning to put the kettle back where she had gotten it from. Normally, she would brew tea the muggle way, boiling the water on the stove, but with Professor Snape waiting for her, she placed a tea bag in a mug and conjured hot water to fill the cup. She set the mug down on the table and took the seat flanking his right side.
"What do we need to talk about, sir?"
Professor Snape raised his eyes once again, and Hermione noticed that he looked tired.
"I have just returned from a summons from the Dark Lord, and I debriefed Minerva and Albus earlier this morning. Has Mr. Potter told you about anything strange occurring in his dreams or in his subconscious?"
She replied "He has mentioned having nightmares. Last week, he had such a fright that he had to come sleep in mine and Ginny's room."
Professor Snape raised his eyebrows.
"Putting aside the impropriety of a man being alone with two young girls in a bedroom overnight, those instances are what I wish to speak to you about."
Hermione scoffed.
"You must think we're in the Dark Ages. Harry had a legitimate reason to seek comfort, and he was more comfortable spending the night with Ginny. Nothing 'improper' would have happened with me in the room."
Severus snarked "And where was Mr. Weasley when this happened? Or Molly and Arthur? You put too much trust into a single-minded teenage boy."
Hermione huffed, admitting to herself that it did seem odd that Harry came straight to her and Ginny's room, bypassing Ron in the same room with him and Molly and Arthur.
"Was there something you wanted to tell me, Professor?"
"I don't appreciate the tone that you have taken in this conversation, but we will just have to move on from that. The Dark Lord has formed a mental pathway to Potter through the connection that they share. He is projecting his own feelings and memories to Potter, hoping to plant seeds of doubt to weaken him."
Hermione blinked, still processing what she just heard.
"So Vol- "
Professor Snape hissed. Hermion paused and continued.
"So, the Dark Lord is intentionally planting these nightmares in Harry?"
He replied "Yes, Miss Granger. That is where we may need your help…if you are up to the task."
Hermione straightened her posture.
"I would do anything to help with the war effort" she proclaimed proudly.
Snape seemed unimpressed by her bravado.
"As I'm sure you are aware, I am an Occlumens and a Legilimens. You are also aware that I attempted to teach Potter the art of occlumency two years ago, and that proved to be unsuccessful."
Hermione recalled this but thought that Professor Snape was leaving out some key details.
"From my recollection, Harry was attending every session, and you became angry with him at one of the lessons and kicked him out, abandoning the lessons."
Snape sneered at that. "Is that what he told you, Miss Granger?" he asked.
Hermione replied "Harry is not a liar. I believe what he told me."
Snape took a deep breath.
"Regardless of how our lessons came to end, I do not believe that my attempting to tutor him again would be successful. That is where Minerva and Albus have inserted you into this ordeal."
Hermione leaned in, listening closely. She was bright, but she hadn't quite worked out how her involvement would aid Harry in learning occlumency.
Snape exhaled a sigh at her continued ignorance.
"When I attempted to impart my knowledge of occlumency on Potter, he exhibited the same disappointing lack of acquisition that he does in Potions class. What-"
Hermione couldn't contain herself. She would not let her friend be disparaged in this way.
"Sir, that's really not fair to Harry. You are maliciously cruel to him during Potions class, and if he didn't learn from your occlumency lessons, I would assume it's because you exhibited the same ineffective pedagogy that you employ in all of your classes, expecting it to work when it never has before."
Snape's chair made a loud screech against the stone floor as he shoved his chair back. He stood up, towering over Hermione, and took hold of her arm and pulled her up with him. Hermione opened her mouth to object, but Snape cut her off.
"Miss Granger, I have not slept in thirty-six hours. I will retreat for the time being to get some rest, and I expect this conversation to go very differently when we resume it this evening at 11 pm in the library."
He brushed past her, walking through the kitchen door and stomping down the stairs to the cellar, disregarding the fact that it was still the wee hours of the morning and that the others were sleeping.
Hermione sat down in the kitchen and nursed her tea, wondering what the hell had gotten into him.