Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :-)
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
Hermione was fidgeting in her bed in the infirmary. She has been under Madame Pomfrey's administration for almost two days now and she couldn't stand in that bed anymore. Everybody was treating her with so much care that she has had enough. She wasn't sick, for Merlin's sake. In those two days, everybody came and visited her at least three times and she really appreciated it, but she just wanted to be alone, away from prying eyes.
"Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione yelled as the mediwitch entered the room.
"Yes, dear?" the older woman replied.
"Madame, I was wondering if I was free to go. I feel much better now and I can't see why I should stay here anymore."
"Miss Granger, I'm afraid you're wasting your time. You are not ready to go yet, I'm afraid." Poppy told Hermione.
"But - "Hermione started only to be interrupted by the mediwitch.
"Tell me, Miss Granger, have you had any more of those dreams?"
"Only fragments of them." Hermione assured the witch.
"I'm sorry, dear, but you'll have to stay here until there is nothing left of those dreams." Poppy told Hermione with an apologetic look on her face. The truth was the mediwitch had no control over Hermione's staying in the infirmary. If she could, she would send her back to her room to relax, but someone else was pulling the strings in this case.
Hermione let out a disappointed sigh. "It's alright, Madam, I understand."
"I have to go, dear, but if you need anything, I'll be in the other room." the witch said and she left the room quickly, leaving Hermione all by herself. There was nobody but her in the infirmary.
Hermione let her head fall back in the comfortable pillow while she looked out the window. It was a beautiful November day and she was spending it in the infirmary. She tried to remember how she got there, but somehow she couldn't remember anything. She could picture what her friends told her, but she couldn't remember. The last thing she recalled was entering the Great Hall and checking out the dancing pairs. Then she remembered being caught by Snape as she stared at him. They told her that he was the one to carry her to the infirmary and she could tell it was true. The first thing she saw when she woke up was he. He was looking down on her with a worried look on his face. He didn't say a word to her and he quickly went to look out the window. She haven't seen him since then.
A day later, Hermione was free to go to her room. Her dreams had stopped completely and she could sleep peacefully now. She walked in silence through the cold corridors to her dorm and she exhaled relieved when she found herself surrounded by her belongings. She wanted to go and say "hi" to Draco, but she knew that the rest of the students still had classes. Hermione started to get worried about her classes. She had lost two days in the infirmary so she had missed many classes, but she knew that it was nothing new to her and she began to relax.
Hermione looked around the room. She didn't know what to do. Something was still bothering her and she couldn't tell what it was. She let herself fall on the bed unceremoniously and she closed her eyes. A minute later, a ray of light fell exactly on her face. She rose up quickly and she got out the door. She knew exactly what to do.
Almost half an hour later, Hermione found herself looking down on the beautiful view from the Astronomy tower. The last time she was there, her ex-boyfriend announced he was getting married, her mean professor treated her like a human being and she managed not to get a cold. Now, even though it was a cold November day, the sun was still shining proudly on the sky. Hermione let herself fall on the cold floor while she took a lungful of air. She missed the fresh air while she was in the infirmary and she was now thankful for it. She closed her eyes and breathed it in.
When she opened her eyes, Hermione realized that she must have fallen asleep. It was completely dark outside and a beautiful full moon replaced the sun. A shiver ran through her spine and she got up from the cold floor. She did not want to get back in the infirmary. It was too soon. She took a step forward and she crossed her arms at her chest while she gazed at the moon. A wolf could be heard far away, somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. She suddenly remembered the night when professor Lupin transformed into a werewolf and they had to go back in time to save Buckbeak and Sirius. That was the day when she punched Draco and she giggled at that thought. It felt good at the time. However, that was also the day when she realized that professor Snape was a good man. Was it not for him, Remus would have probably killed them.
Another wolf cry could be heard and Hermione let out a deep sigh.
"Do you really want to go back to the infirmary?" someone asked and Hermione turned to see Snape stepping out of the shadows.
"Whatever do you mean by that?" she asked confused.
Snape crossed the space between them and he was now standing tall in front of her. "You are obviously cold." He told her in his deep voice.
"I am not." She retorted coldly and she turned her back on him to gaze at the moon once more.
"Your body says otherwise." He continued. Snape could see her trembling.
"My body is not – "she started, but she stopped involuntarily when she felt a warm heavy coat on her shoulders. He was right, she was indeed cold. Hermione looked down. The heavy coat was too big on her and it was spread on the cold floor. She then realized that it was his own coat.
Hermione took hold of the piece of wool and she tightened around her. "Thank you." She finally let out and she heard him take a step closer to her. She could feel his breath on the back of her head and she started to breathe heavily. Hermione didn't know what was happening.
Snape put his hands on her shoulders and they both didn't move for a moment. He waited for her to reject him, to turn and leave, but she did nothing of a kind, instead, she just sat there, unsure of what to do. He then proceeded and drove his hands up and down her arms trying to take the chill off her while he put his chin on top of her head. In a moment, his gesture turned into a bear hug and Hermione was at a loss for words.
"Thank you." He whispered in her ear.
"What for?" Hermione finally managed to say.
"For saving me." He replied curt.
Hermione turned on her heels to look at him and he never let go of her. She got her right hand out from under the woolen garment and she put it on his chest. His heart was pounding steadily. "You know, don't you?" she asked while she looked into his eyes.
Severus knew what she was talking about. "Yes." He admitted.
"How?" she asked, but she already knew the answer.
"Legilimens."
"You had no right." She accused him calmly.
"I had every right." He told her and she took a step back, away from his arms.
"No, you had no right to get inside my head! What makes you think otherwise?" she almost yelled.
"I am your professor. I have the right to know what happens with my students." He told her.
"Bloody Hell! You may be my professor, but nobody has the right to get inside my head. Not even you!" she now yelled.
"Language, Miss Granger." He warned her.
"Manners, professor!" she threw back and she ran away, his cloak still hanging around her shoulders.
Severus let her go. "You can come out now, Minerva." He said in his low baritone voice and a cat appeared from the shadows. She stopped a step away from him and she turned back into her human shape.
"You stubborn boy! Why didn't you admit that you were worried for her?" she admonished him.