Hermione woke up the next morning alone in his bed. She had surfaced enough from the veil of sleep to reach for him, thinking he had rolled away, but her hand only found empty air. A groan passed from her lips as she rolled onto her back and opened her eyes to survey her surroundings.

She was definitely alone. The bathroom door was cracked so there was no way he was hidden in there. She went to get up and a piece of parchment crinkled under her palm. She quickly picked it up and scanned the short note written in his elegant scrawl.

Good Morning Lost Girl,

I was needed elsewhere.

Do not be angry that I didn't wake you.

You looked much too peaceful to disturb.

Help yourself to whatever you may need.

-D

As her eyes lingered on his initial she fought with a smile that wanted to spring to her lips. Instead she set the explanation down, back in the spot she found it and got out of the too-comfortable bed. Every muscle in her upper legs and hips burned in protest at their use but she pushed through, figuring it would be much the same as the day after her first time. Uncomfortable but not anywhere near enough to stop her from doing her normal routine.

A hot shower would help…

Her gait was slow as she made her way over to the purse. Grateful that she thought to pack a change of clothes and her school bag. She would be able to leave and go directly down for breakfast before heading off to Ancient Runes. It sounded like a pretty good start to her day.

She pulled her uniform from the tricky concealment, along with a set of robes. A quick delve back in had her school bag in her arms. She hadn't thought to bring any of her shower things but the scent of the lotion that she carried in there should help offset the strange smell that was bound to linger on her if she used Draco's soap. Maybe a few spritzes of her emergency back-up perfume wouldn't hurt either.

After she grabbed everything she needed to get ready she stopped where she had set her school bag down and picked up the pocket watch she kept clasped to the shoulder strap by a short chain. It was an easy way to have the time anywhere she was in the castle. She flipped the compartment open, hoping she had enough time for a long soak under the water, and stared at the face in disbelief. She even had to double check that she had read it correctly…

Shit!

Double Shit!

All thoughts of a shower were abandoned as she quickly threw on the clothes in her arms and shoved the bottle of lotion and perfume haphazardly back into the bag. She wasn't just late! She had slept all the way through Ancient Ruins and break... Even if she used every shortcut she knew from the Map she was still going to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts…

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During the whole hike down to the classroom she had chastised herself for sleeping that late. She ended up needing to make a stop in the bathroom after a couple of wandering Slytherin Third Years made some rather unflattering remarks about being unkempt. A feeling of mortification ran through her when she looked at herself in the mirror. She took a moment to right the easiest of her issues- her robes- and then sighed in frustration... The mess of hair atop her head was in an absolute state of revolt and she knew any attempts at soothing the beast would just make it look worse, so she pulled the whole mess into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck.

The detour had eaten up more time that she didn't have and she was fifteen minutes late when she finally stood at the door to DADA. If Snape had followed his standard regime he would well within his lecture for the day. She didn't know which was worse... Interrupting him or waiting until everyone had started reading the assigned text towards the end of the period... On the one hand, he was bound to be foul to her because of her audacity. On the other, the consequences would be worse the longer that she dawdled…

The thought of more detentions to add to her already strenuous schedule made the decision for her and she opened the old door as quietly as she could. She peeked her head in first and saw that Snape's back was to the class as he wrote a list on the chalkboard. It looked to be examples of horrendous things that could go wrong if too many people cast an Ebublio Jinx on a target at once.

She hurriedly stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The latch clicking as she let go of the knob seemed to echo in the room and every set of eyes turned in curiosity at the sound. She paused, waiting to see if she would be kicked out before making the effort to go to her seat.

"Ah... Yes. How wonderful of you to bless us with your presence this morning, Miss Granger." The Professor that hated her most sneered from the front of the classroom. "While we are all appreciative of the consideration of your time. I must ask... Why would you have the need to disrupt my class with your entrance?"

"I do not have an adequate explanation, sir. I got caught up with something in the Library. I apologize for the interruption." She said, hoping her voice was loud enough to reach him.

"Your apologies mean nothing when your actions show blatant disrespect for others. Ten points from Gryffindor and you will see me after class to discuss your detention schedule."

She felt the blush of her humiliation creep into her cheeks but nodded. "Yes sir."

He turned back to the board as her dismissal and she let out the trapped breath from her lungs and quickly made way over to her normal spot. She could still feel all of the other student's gazes on her as she slipped into her seat and grabbed her books and parchment from her bag. Her hands shook as she set them out in front of her, trying her hardest to ignore the distinct feeling of trepidation that spread in her stomach before she started to copy the words written out on the black board.

Harry leaned over and whispered. "Ron and I spent all of break in the Library and we did not see you. Where were you?"

"Overslept." She mumbled out of the side of her mouth. Her eyes stayed trained ahead on the words she needed to get down before Snape moved on and they disappeared.

"But... Lavender said that your bed was empty when she came down..." He said, his tone saturated with confusion. It wasn't like her to get caught in a lie.

"Honestly Harry! Can this conversation not wait? You are going to end up getting me into even worse trouble."

A quick glance in his direction confirmed that he had grudgingly gone back to listening to the lecture... Or at least pretending to. She spent most of the remaining class time, only half there. The other half of her was intent on the task of figuring out a believable excuse to tell her friend that would be good enough to pacify him.

When Snape finished a few minutes early she was surprised to find that he had lectured straight through. Offering them no time to get some of the extensive chapter list and three page essay he had handed out done. He instructed the rest of the students to head to their next class or go on break. She wasted time by gathering up her supplies and organizing them in her bag.

Once she couldn't put it off any longer she finally made her way over to the Professor who was bent over his desk doing his own organization. His shoulders were stooped in an uncharacteristic show of weariness and he showed no signs that he knew that she was there, but she knew it was just an act. Severus Snape was one of the most observant people she knew. A skill that had to be a major part in how he could pull off being a double agent for so long…

After a few minutes of awkwardly standing off to the side she cleared her throat and spoke up. "P... Professor?"

"I see that you do not enjoy your time being wasted either..." Snape snapped at her over his shoulder.

"No sir." Was her simple reply. She knew it would be faster to accept whatever consequences came her way than to try and gain any sympathy for her actions.

"Am I correct in assuming you will be able to show the barest of courtesies and show up on time in the future?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. I would expect that there will be no issue with you being here promptly after breakfast on Sunday to serve your detention." He stated it as fact, not a question.

She gave a quick nod at his assessment.

He stood to his full height and turned to face her before continuing. "I would also expect that you would be able to clear your schedule for the rest of the day..."

"Of course, Professor."

A dark eyebrow rose at her display of meekness and he scowled. "That is all, Miss Granger."

"Uh... Thank you for your time sir." She tried to offer but all it did was earn her a deeper scowl from the man. She hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and rushed from the room before he could dock Gryffindor more points because he had taken it as insolence. Or any other reason he could find…

All hope of making it to Arithmancy without a delay was instantly dashed when she closed the door behind her and Harry stepped up to her side. "Would you like some company on your walk?"

The fact that Ron was nowhere to be found meant he wanted to speak to her in private. Usually the two boys spent their free period working on homework together... She hesitated for a second before starting on her path and calling back to him. "If you don't mind rushing I wouldn't mind company."

"Okay..." He said, trying to keep up with her erratic pace as she zig zagged around clusters of other students. "So... What is the damage?"'

She gave an annoyed sigh. "Sunday, all day."

"That isn't that bad, considering..." Harry volunteered as he dodged around a group of giggling second year girls.

"I know. I am just angry with myself." She told him. "I should have known that something like this would happen."

"That sounds ominous." He said as he grabbed her elbow and stopped her at the corner that would lead to her next class.

"It's nothing. Really. I've just been having a hard time sleeping with the pressure of... Everything. If I would have made myself do some relaxation exercises before bed this wouldn't have happened..." She gave as an explanation, trying to make herself comfortable with the fact that it was not quite an outright lie. Sleep was quite elusive most nights.

He shook his head before catching her eye with a worried gaze. "Pomfrey could help with that."

"I know... I... I don't like the way the sleeping potions make me feel." She offered another grain of truth. Her mind had felt fuzzy for hours after waking and she quit taking the ones prescribed to her the day she was released from Mungo's. "I usually sneak off somewhere and do some light reading until it is an acceptable hour to be up, but I must have fallen asleep in the Astronomy Tower. It's actually quite cozy up there with a warming charm and blanket. Anyways... It will not be happening again. So there is nothing to worry about."

"Hermione..." He said in the tone that indicated he wasn't going to let it drop anytime soon and planned to bring it up again if he had to.

"Look... I promise I am okay. We all deal with stuff in our own ways right? Fred and George with humor. You and Ginny with Quidditch. Ron with snogging the suckerfish. I like to go find a quiet corner and read. This shouldn't come as a shock to you."

"Alright... Just go to Pomfrey if it gets worse." Harry said. The concern plainly evident on his face but not wanting to push her fully into an argument. "There is no need to be a hero."

She couldn't stop the snort that came at his words. "Rich, considering..."

The blush that crept into his cheeks at her implication made her guilt flare as he mumbled. "Yeah, yeah. I will see you around."

It was her turn to be the one that reached out with a touch on the arm to stop him from leaving. "I'm sorry. That was rude! Thank you for checking in on me, I do appreciate it. See you at lunch?"

"Where else would I be when there is good food to be eaten?" He asked with a smile that told her that things had been easily smoothed over.

She turned and started to walk down the hall, laughing at his attempt at a joke. "True..."

Where else could he be indeed... Her mind outright refused to think over the possibilities of the trouble he could get himself into by lunch...

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As promised there is a longgg lemony scene over on AO3 (like it could be its own chapter)! Check it out if you like that kind of stuff and let me know what you think...

As Always…

Much love,

SlytherclawLuv