72Chapter 12: An Awakening Of Consequence
{A/N: Here's Another Long Awaited Update...}
My Thanks To All My Reader And Reviewers...Enjoy S.S
Strange Bedroom,12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World...
The first lights of dawn had been on the horizon when Severus S. Snape found himself awakening once more to find that he'd been continued to be confined to a bed and still recovering from nearly dying due to the wretched serpent Nagini and her contemptible fellow serpentine despot. His fingers, though numb had reflectively dug into the crisp dark sheets that lined the strange bed. The last he recalled was that he was in the apparent "care" of one The-boy-who-lived-to-be-a-pain-in-the-arse and an insufferable-know-it-all. Attempting to get a read on his surroundings, he took notice of the sleeping witch beside his bed. Like clockwork, Hermione Granger found herself in his presence and seemingly fell asleep watching over him in the middle of the night. Had he not known any better, he would have been curious as to why his survival had come to mean so much to her. Potter himself was easy to get a conclusion from, he found out that his mother and long time and greatly dispised former Professor had been friends, thus giving them the status of non biological family. At least that's what it meant in the idiotic boy's mind, but Granger had alterior motives. Motives that Potter had yet to have been made aware of. Snape attempted to repress the memory of why the young witch had suddenly wished to be as close to him as possible.
Yes, it seemed the old coot had been right.
There was someone that had cared for him, and whither he liked it or not, the old man had been correct in his assessment.
Snape fought the urge to roll his eyes.
Sentimental Gryffindors.
The whole bloody lot of them were always sticking their collective noses where they didn't belong.
He had longed to be free of the burdens of this place for so long, his life...even looking back had not been a particularly enjoyable one and the sooner the agony of having to awaken each day ended he had been less inclined to succumb to misery.
Now.
Now, he had been forced to return to the world he had been all too glad to leave behind and it was all because of that meddling old fool and the two brats he loathed even to teach.
Snape had not been the only one awake for long, as Hermione Granger sensed his watching her and opened her eyes.
She seemed delighted that he'd been concious and once more subconcious about her appearance in his sight.
"Professor Snape?" she said softly looking him over.
Snape said nothing as he continued to stare in her direction.
"Are you in pain?" she asked.
Before Snape could answer flashes of a young woman appeared before him asking that very same question, only he'd been leaning against the wall in the main corridor following a rather brutal meeting with the despot.
She had been there.
In the dark of the night, newly arrived from a late session in the library.
He recalled wanting to give her detention but the agony of suffering through hours of an unforgiveable curse had ensured that he'd let her presence go unnoticed, as far as his being on patrol after curfew had been concerned.
Snape had been so lost in thought that he didn't realize she had approached him, concerned that he might be having some sort of mental episode due to the venom intake. He'd been well enough as far as he was concerned.
"Professor?" she called to him unsure of how he'd respond but nervous none the less.
"Why. Are. You. Here?" he asked, his rather impressive deep baritone voice rough and strained yet it remained as cold as ever.
Hermione appeared to be caught off guard that he had replied let along spoken after so long.
Getting over her shock, she took a few moments to compose herself before reaching for one of his rough calloused hands.
Hermione looked upon the wizard whom had come to mean so much to her and hoped that he'd at least remember the last time she'd spent time alone with him.
"Severus..." she said softly. "You know why."
Snape had grown quite annoyed by her words and unwanted affection.
It was at that moment that an image, from the deepest recesses of his mind recalled a what had been something of a kiss exchanged between the two of them, only he'd been quite drunk and in a good deal of pain despite being out in the elements. She had taken it upon herself to venture the grounds after his rather unfortunate bad landing and before they knew it he'd scooped her into his arms, a fitting distraction from the agony that he'd been in and the misery that became of his life during the second wizarding war.
Vauge recollection of need overwhelming logic had furthered the image and then some as Snape looked upon Hermione Granger with a strange indifference. He had given in to his baser nature and as a result she clung to him as if he'd been willing to simply pick up where they had left off, unfortunately for her, he had not even had any intention of surviving let alone continuing their apparent affair. His bitterness at having been pulled back to the land of the living had been on full display. One thing he noted from the shift of Hermione Granger's body language when Harry Potter made himself known downstairs, was that her dearest friend in the world had not been privy to such information and she fought to keep him in the dark about her exploits with their former Potions Professor.
"I'll go and see what Harry is up to." she said shifting once more.
Snape said nothing as she quickly parted unsure of what to make of the older wizard's standoffish nature. She supposed there would be a lot for him to adjust to and the consequences of that night had many unforseen ramifications. The former Potions Professor had been more than delighted to have been left alone, even if it had been for a little while.
