All Alone

Severus Snape walked down the corridor, his large black robes billowing about his person made him look like an overgrown bat as usual. He swept into the dungeons and his rooms where she would be waiting for him.

When he entered the room he found her fast asleep in his arm chair. Her long hair draped over her face. Severus crept over to her. He stood there watching her sleep soundly, his mind going over how beautiful she was and how he was not allowed her. He did not care, even if it was against the rules. He moved closer towards her when she awoke. He was by the door so fast that it looked as though he had flew.

The girl scrambled out off the chair and stood by the desk. "Sorry ,Professor, but you where late so I sat down and fell asleep.," she said mumbling. "I didn't mean too."

Severus was surprised. She never mumbled. She always spoke like a headstrong woman as she was. He looked closely at her face and noticed that she had been crying. He had heard rumours about what had happened. That boy had dumped her. She had loved Potter for years, since she first knew him. His messy black hair and his bright green eyes appealed to all the girls. Potter was like his father, a heartbreaker.

The girl sat back down in the chair. When she was in trouble or needed solitude she came to the dungeons. Professor Snape was her mentor, even if he was horrible to her in public. She was misunderstood by her friends, by everyone. She had needed someone to help her. So she went to Snape. He had been misunderstood when he was younger. It had turned him into what he was today. He knew what it was like. He had almost turned her down, but she had looked so helpless that he had to help her. He had grown to love her. He did not want her to turn out as he had, cold, cruel and friendless.

Severus walked over and sat on the desk. If her friends ever found out that she came down here to see him when she needed comfort. They would turn against her. Then she would be lost, lost to the world and to him.

"What happened?" he asked finally speaking. He already knew by her face but he wanted her to talk about it to him.

"Harry dumped me. He dumped me for Cho Chang," she said quietly. There was a few moments of silence before the tears came. They flowed down her face like raindrops on a window. Then Severus did something that surprised even himself. He got up and cuddled the crying girl. She cuddled up beside him still crying freely. Severus made no attempt to stop her. She needed to cry, to get it out of her system. They sat like that until she stopped. They sat then in silence still in a hug.

After a while Severus looked down to find her asleep. He gently lifted her up and moved her to his couch. It was late. Too late to take her back up to her common room. As he put her on the couch she woke. She lay very still listening to Severus moving around putting things right in his room.

"Severus, have you ever loved someone more than just a simple crush?" she asked, glad that she had made him jump.

"Yes, but she would never love me," he answered wistfully. "I'm sorry about Harry, really."

"It's okay. It was just a stupid crush really. I'm too young to have a proper relationship yet. Maybe when I'm older. A lot older," the girl said sitting up.

Severus went over and sat next to her. "You are old enough to have a relationship. You will be leaving Hogwarts in a couple of years," he said looking at her.

Suddenly the room started to shake. Books toppled off of the bookcase, papers fell off the desks. Severus and the girl were thrown together on the couch. Severus held onto her for dear life. In a matter of seconds the earthquake had ended. Severus and the girl still held onto each other.

"Are you okay?" Severus asked her. He looked down at her. He was lying on top off her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah. Just fine," she said still smiling. She leaned forward and their lips met. They started to kiss. Harder and harder, till they were kissing as if their lives depended on it. Finally they pulled apart.

"I'm sorry Severus. I should never have done that," she said looking into his black eyes. They were deep, full of years of sorrow.

"No, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'm your teacher, your my student," he said sadly. "You should head back to you common room. Your friends will wonder where you are. I will take you there so Filch will not put you in detention." He lead the way out of the door and down the passage ways to the tower.

Once outside her common room Severus pulled her close and kissed her again. "Goodnight," he whispered.

"Goodnight Severus," she replied. She went through the portrait door and into her common room.

"Goodnight Hermione. I love you," Severus said under his breath.

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