Chapter 4

“Hermione,“ he whispered, setting the stew down before her.

She found she liked the way he said it very much.

“Did you go back to school after the war?” he asked as he sat opposite her and began to spoon stew into his mouth.

“No, I couldn’t face it, not without Ron. I was allowed to sit my NEWTS.”

“Potter, where is he? Why isn’t he here to help you deal with all of this?” He had a bit of the old anger in his voice.

“He was here until a few months ago. I couldn’t continue to hold him back. He took Ginny and went to America for a while. He couldn’t stand to see the hero worship in everyone's eyes.”

"I can understand that, yet didn’t he see how depressed you are and how hard this is for you?”

“I’m a very good actress when I want to be. I was stopping his future with Ginny. They got married and they deserved some happiness.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Then Snape asked, “Your NEWTS, I supposed you passed them all?”

“Yes.”

“You could have passed them your fourth year.”

She looked into his eyes, “Yes, I guess I could have. I’m surprised you knew. I tried to blend in.”

“Not very hard. You couldn’t contain the knowledge in you. It nearly flew out of you. I’ve never encountered a more gifted student.”

Astonished, Hermione, stated, “Nor I a teacher.” She looked at him steadily, her gaze not wavering.

Unaccustomed to compliments, Snape looked away, and the emotion that overtook him caused him to cough. He stood and left the table, trying to hide the fact that blood had come up. Alarmed, Hermione went to his side. “Please tell me what to do!”

“Bottle... by the bed... table, “ he gasped, his fingers clutched at the bandages on his neck.

She turned, her eyes searching the bedside table. She saw the potion and grabbed it. As she passed it to him, she undid the cap.

He drank a bit then sat on the edge of the bed, holding the cloth to his face. His breathing got better. “The wound is still open all the way to the inside. It gets to me when... I forget... to take the potion. The words came out haltingly, “The potion seals it for a time, only a few hours.”

“Please tell me what to do. How can I help? We can start immediately.”

“Don’t you have friends who will be missing you?”

“No, I had a job at the Ministry, but I left last month, after Harry left I couldn’t face going there. I stay at twelve, Grimmauld Place. Harry left me some gold to live on for awhile.”

“There must be someone missing you, isn’t Molly keeping track of you? She is such a busy body, I would think even if Ron’s gone she would be keeping tabs on you.”

Hermione smiled, “Yes, she does check up on me now and then. Remus too.”

“Well you must tell them something before they have every Auror out looking for you.” He got up and went back to his dinner.

She followed and sat back in her chair, “I could go to Hogsmeade and send them a message. Tell them I decided to take a holiday. I could buy an owl. We could use it to send the messages and I wouldn’t have to leave here very often.”

“You sure you want to take this on?”

Hermione looked him in the eyes and saw for the first time since meeting him, a flash of fear, followed by anxiousness.

'He’s afraid I’ll leave him. Somehow this night, she had become a savior to him. Hope where there had been none.' Hermione thought to herself.

“Yes, Severus, I’m very certain.” She saw him let out a breath of relief. “Now what is the first thing I can do for you?”

“Cut my hair!” He exclaimed vehemently.