Come Break Me Down

A/N: Lariope, Lulabelle72, RedSkyAtNight--you three are brilliant. Thank you for your support, the excellent beta skills, and the constant spanking of my behind to get this chapter right!

Warmth enveloped Hermione as Severus' memories ended, leaving her standing alone in her dim room. She wiped her tear-sodden eyes on her sleeve, drawing in a rattled breath.

She turned around, wanting nothing more but to run to him, to hold him forever, when she realized a dark figure sat in the chair next to the door.

He had been waiting for her.

"Severus--you startled me!"

"My apologies," he whispered.

She stared at him, unable to tear her eyes away from his.

"Thank you for sharing your... life with me."

"And what is your opinion regarding the choices I've made?"

"I may not agree with some things, but I don't blame you for your decisions. If I were a stronger person, I would have done the same as you." She took several steps forward, keeping herself from rushing at him and hugging him."I'm so sorry for--"

Rising from his chair, he pulled another phial out of his pocket and held it up, stopping her from speaking further.

"There's more I need to show you."

The memory swirled around her, leaving Hermione in a dark room. As she rubbed her eyes, adjusting to the darkness, she heard the clatter of dishes and low whispers coming from behind her. She turned around and realized she was standing inside an empty pub. Sitting at a table in the back of the pub, several men were gathered, drinking and whispering amongst themselves. She walked to the table and stood next to Severus.

She was unable to take her eyes off his face, for in this memory, he was younger and not quite as severe as she had known him. His black hair fell below his shoulders, still greasy as ever, but the harsh lines usually etched in his face were minimal.

The man to the left of Severus broke the side conversations first, demanding attention from the group. Hermione had never seen him before. Perhaps he had been a Death Eater, killed before her time. "I still can't believe that you have been a teacher at that bloody school for five years and haven't the slightest inkling to bed one of your more... delectable students."

"Come on, Snape. Tell us the truth--how many have come to your office after hours and sat under your desk and sucked you off as you marked essays?" the man across from Severus asked.

"I prefer women over inexperienced girls."

Hermione released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"You sit there and tell us that girls like the Cox sisters do nothing for you?"

Severus' face scrunched up as if he were smelling vomit. "You're fucking disgusting--they're only fourteen and fifteen"

The man next to Snape laughed. "The younger the better!"

Severus stood from the table. "It's been an interesting evening, gentlemen. Goodnight."

"Where you going?" asked the man who had started the conversation. "Hey, you aren't a virgin, are you, Snape?"

The men at the tabled laughed as Severus opened the door to the pub.

An inexperienced girl? Hadn't I been one? Hermione wondered as the memory changed.

The door to his office opened, and a girl entered the room, shutting the door behind her. Severus, who had been cleaning off his shelves of jars and old potions, turned around.

"Miss Hartwick?"

Hermione recognized the tall girl. She had been a seventh year during Hermione's first year. She had shoulder length blond hair and piercing blue eyes. Her shirt was unbuttoned, revealing her cleavage, and the length of her skirt was too short for Hermione's taste. A wave of jealousy washed hotly over her, and she was overwhelmingly angry toward the girl for coming into her lover's office, looking the way she did.

"Professor," she said smoothly, dropping her potions book on the table as she walked towards him, running her finger across her breasts, unbuttoning the top button.

Severus snorted at her feeble attempt to seduce him. "Miss Hartwick, what, may I ask, are you doing in my office at this hour and without an appointment?"

"I'll be finished with school by Friday. And before I leave, I just wanted--"

"Miss Hartwick, let me save you the embarrassment of finishing that sentence. I have no desire for you or anyone else. And I never have. You are not the first to come to my office, nor will you be last. I will tell you the same thing I tell all the other pathetic girls who throw themselves at a man who can barely tolerate the sight of you: Get.Out."

The girl huffed, her face flushing. But she held her chin high and said, "I suppose the rumours are true then. You are gay."

Surprised, Hermione chuckled. The Hufflepuff had a bit of Gryffindor courage in her.

Severus leered. "I assure you, I am not. The sight of you and every other girl in this castle disgusts me. It takes a woman to catch and hold my attention."

"You're such a git," the girl cried out as tears ran down her face. She turned and fled from the room, leaving her book behind.

Hermione grinned.

The scene disappeared, and Hermione was in the headmaster's office. Severus sat in the same chair as always, opposite Dumbledore. Severus' eyes were closed, and he massaged his temples in a gentle circular motion.

"It's only been a few months, Severus."

"Yes, and I've got six more years with--"

"Harry is not James, Severus. Your dislike for his father--"

"Who said I was talking about Potter?" Severus snapped, jerking his head up at the older man.

Dumbledore furrowed his brows. "If this is not about Harry, then..."

Severus growled and stood up, walking towards the door, mumbling about a certain "know-it-all."

"Ah. Miss Granger?" Dumbledore said, grinning. "Is this because she set fire to your robes during the Quidditch match?

Severus stopped in his tracks, turning his head slightly to look over his shoulder at the man behind him. "Miss Granger is nothing more than a pebble in my shoe." He set forth once again, wrenching the door open. "A very. Annoying. Pebble."

As the memory changed, Hermione giggled, thinking back on her own memories of that incident.

Severus sat at his desk, staring at seven bottles. Hermione recognized them from her first year when she had solved his riddle in order to reach the Philosopher's Stone. Dumbledore stood opposite him.

"Severus, are you listening to me?"

Severus, mumbling to himself, ignored the headmaster. "How does a first year, child--not even Filius had been able to work out the answer! Clearly, it could only have been a lucky guess."

"Severus, do not blame yourself. The three of them were determined to stop, well... you, from reaching the Philosopher's Stone. The children are impressive--Mister Potter is an incredible Seeker; Mister Weasley is a genius at chess, and Miss Granger happens to be the brightest witch of her age."

"I do not blame myself, Albus! An eleven-year-old snotty little girl answered my riddle! You give them too much credit--it was all luck!" Severus stood, crossing his arms over his chest. "You had better keep a watchful eye on those three, Albus. If their first year is any indication of their upcoming years, then you're in for quite a bit of trouble."

The memory swirled around Hermione, and this time, she was back inside the headmaster's office. Severus was pacing while Dumbledore sat behind his desk, as usual.

"I knew she stole from my private stores, Albus! If she had been anyone else, we would have expelled her!"

"If that were the case, the Weasley twins would have been expelled in their first year, Severus."

Severus stopped in his track, glaring at Dumbledore. "And yet, they never were. You favour the Gryffindors, Albus."

"When, since you began teaching, have I ever expelled a Slytherin? Or anyone, for that matter, Severus?"

Severus snorted.

"As it was my property she stole, I should have full authority regarding Miss Granger's punishment."

"I think accidentally transforming herself into a cat was punishment enough. Do you not agree?"

Severus lifted is eyebrow. "A cat?"

"She brewed a batch of Polyjuice Potion, Severus. From what I understand, Messrs Potter and Weasley transformed into two of your Slytherins. She, unfortunately, mistook a cat hair for a human one."

Hermione had always wondered how Severus Snape had taken the news of her stealing from him.

Severus silently sat down, his voice quiet when he spoke. "A second year brewed Polyjuice Potion?"

A calm, almost intriguing demeanor had not been the way Hermione imagined him reacting.

"She's the brightest witch of her age, Severus. I've said this several times. In all your years of teaching, have you ever come across a student such as her?"

"You mean an annoying, bossy, must-always-be-right--"

"Severus," Dumbledore warned. "At that age you were just as--"

Severus jumped to his feet. "All right, fine, Albus! Miss Granger is brilliant!" He turned on his heel, his robes whirling around behind him. "But it does not excuse her from stealing!"

Dumbledore smile. "I'll speak to her about borrowing your items without permission," the older man called from behind Severus.

Another change in the scene and Hermione loomed over Severus, who was sitting at his desk, marking homework--her essay as a matter of fact.

The fire crackled from behind her as Severus read her paper, silently marking it with his quill, dipping the tip into red ink every few minutes. Muttering to himself, he said, "It's nice to see you thinking outside the pages of books, Hermione. But your reasonings for this are ridiculous." Just as he began to cross out another sentence and add one of his famous, sneering remarks to her paper, someone knocked at his door.

"Enter."

Karkaroff slipped inside the office.

"Snape, I--"

"If you are here to speak about the Dark Lord, then--"

"I know you've seen your Mark--"

"Silence! Can you not see that I am in the middle of marking essays?" Snape pointed to Hermione's paper. "Do not bother me about that issue on your arm!"

Karkaoff glanced at her paper, reading it. "Hermione Granger. My boy, Krum, fancies her. I assume she is in the noble house of Slytherin? Krum wouldn't be so foolish to have eyes for anyone else."

Severus slowly looked up at the man above him, and for a moment, terror struck through her as she saw the evil glint in Severus' eyes. What had the other man said to make his demeanor change so drastically?

The wooden legs of his chair scraped across the stone floor as Severus stood, dropping his quill onto the table. "Miss Granger is a Gryffindor and among the most intelligent students I have ever had the displeasure to teach. I can tell you she wouldn't bother with anyone who uses their head for nothing more than a target for Bludgers--"

"How dare you ridicule my students!"

"How dare you assume that Hermione wouldn't be worthy of that imbecile's attention just because she's not a Slytherin! Now, if don't remove yourself from my office, I will do so for you."

Karkaroff backed away from the desk, grinning at Severus. "Hermione?"

"GET. OUT."

The gruff man left the office, and Hermione stood there, gobsmacked over the use of her first name. Severus had showed her this memory for a reason--this had been the moment that he had started seeing her not as Miss Granger, the know-it-all, but as Hermione, his potential lover.

With a jolt, she realized that all of the memories she had just viewed were the seeds of an obsession – an obsession that was only now reaching its zenith.

A/N: Thank you for sticking around for this chapter. We are almost done with the story! (Maybe 4-5 more chapters????) However, I still need to write it! And real life gets in the effing way. My apologies. Now, as you may have noticed, this is NOT everything Severus needs to show her. The next chapter is the other half of these memories--the really... bad ones...

Up Next: Severus' memories ,and Hermione finally sees the twisted side to Severus Snape.