Chapter 6

This chapter seems to be a rather short. I will try to get a new chapter up soon. Thank you so much for all the comments I have received.

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Shock registered in Snape's eyes, but he held out his arm. She climbed onto his lap drew his other arm around her, holding tightly to it. She rested her head against his shoulder.

After a few minutes of silence, Snape said, "I can understand an old man like myself enjoying this immensely, but you're a young, beautiful woman. You can have any man you want."

"You are hardly an old man. I need you, Severus. I need to be needed. When I came here tonight, it was to keep myself from falling into the black hole that had become my life. The emptiness was horrible. Seeing my parents smiling out of that album was the only thing I could think of that would possibly stop the world from spinning away from me. Now I have an anchor." She laid her head on his chest, and Severus gently stroked her hair.

"You need a father,” he stated, feeling disappointed.

She pulled back and looked into his face. "No, Severus. I need a friend — a man in my life."

"You would think of me as a man for your life?" he asked incredulously. "I am the horrible Potions teacher you always hated."

"Not always," she murmured. She was growing sleepy. She hadn't felt so secure in months.

"Really!" he said with surprise.

"You have a brilliant mind and a damn sexy voice."

Severus smiled bitterly. "Not anymore."

"It doesn't matter; I can remember." Hermione reached up and slid a finger down his cheek in a soft caress. Her hand dropped back and her breathing evened out.

Astonished, Severus sat holding the sleeping girl. He must be dreaming, he thought as he held her close. She still clung to his arm. Life here had been dreadfully hard. He'd been existing on automatic: eat, dress, and try to survive. He had salvaged things that he needed from the castle. Food was stored under a stasis charm in the Potions classroom next door. He had enough supplies to last him a few years. But there had been no hope, no life. He'd felt as dead as the tomb he lived in.

Hope had fallen at his feet tonight from the most unlikely source. Miracle of miracles, she seemed to actually like him, even as damaged as he was — maybe because of the damage. She was a do-gooder. After all, house-elves had reaped the benefit of her efforts even when she was a child.

As the hours passed, Severus' back began to ache, and he was losing feeling in his legs. Managing to coax Hermione off his lap, he steered her half-asleep form toward his bed. He tucked her in and drew the drapes to give her privacy when she awoke in the morning. Then he returned to his seat in front of the fireplace. A small table next to his chair held a decanter of brandy and glass. He poured himself a small drink and sipped it slowly as he gazed into the fire. Finally, he rose, banked the fire, and crawled into the converted couch bed. Feeling hope again, he allowed himself to slip into the deepest sleep he'd had in years.