Chapter 5
Sitting alone at 19:15 in his classroom he had never been more disappointed with himself.
Surely she knew he had a part to play? He couldn’t be seen being nice to a muggleborn.
Surely she could see through it?
Couldn’t she?
…
19:15 and still she sat in the alcove down from his office, arms wrapped around her knees, tears streaming down her face.
What if he had meant it?
What if it had all been a lie?
…
She had successfully avoided him for 3 days eating in the hall as late as possible and not attending her late night lessons and although dancing was not an OWL subject, Potions was and tomorrow at 9am she would be sat before him whether she liked it or not.
…
“GRANGER”.
“Oh God..” she muttered, leaning her head forward so as to cover her face.
“Not God, Just your ordinary man Miss Granger, an ordinary man who has asked you COUNTLESS times to stop assisting others in my class. Have I not?”.
“Yes Sir, but Neville was-”
“You know what Granger, I don’t care, I don’t care if Longbottom was about to turn into a fish, or was promptly about to burn down the entire school” he shouted, leaning over her desk so he was inches away from her face “What I CARE about, is having my instructions followed to the letter and as you are clearly unable to manage this you shall learn, in detention. Tonight” he added turning around intending to walk back to the front of the class.
“For fucks sake” she muttered to herself.
“What?” he seethed turning slowly around to face her.
“I said, for fucks sake!” She practically spat in his face before more calmly adding “Don’t worry, you can take the points and i’ll see you then. Shall we say 7?” She asked picking up her bag and walking from the room. “7 it is!” she called over her shoulder when she did not get a reply.
Her bravado lasted until she reached her alcove down the corridor from the potions classroom. She ducked in and quickly threw up some basic wards before breaking down into tears only to be jolted back into reality by the anger radiating down the hallway.
“FINISH UP YOU BLITHERING DUNDERHEADS WHILST I FIND MISS GRANGER AND THROW HER FROM THE SCHOOL GATES!” Severus screamed before slamming his classroom door shut behind him.
She heard his footsteps coming closer to her hiding place and curled in upon herself when they stopped feet away.
“Hermione?” he asked quietly, slicing his wand through her wards with ease and coming to sit on the floor next to her.
Hearing her sob he quickly erected wards of his own and then pulled her into his lap where they sat for the duration of class. Her in his lap holding onto the lapels of his robes and him with his arms around her waist and his head in her neck, neither saying a word.
As the school bell rang he lifted his head whispering “7?” She nodded, brushing the tears from her own face and tucking his hair behind his ear. “7”.
News of Hermione Grangers epic showdown with Snape had spread and by dinnertime she was thought of as something resembling a demiGod.
“What happened Hermione?”
“How are you still alive?”
“When are you getting the train home Granger?”
Hermione heard none of it and instead all she could hear was Severus in her head whispering over and over again “Hermione”.. she ate little and left for her detention.