Winter's Shadow

Chapter 9

Splash!

Snape sat in the corner where the darkness camouflaged him. He came out with this group in case anything should happen. Something happened alright--they went to celebrate. He was currently, and thankfully, alone as the others danced. Ophelia and Harry were dancing, some boy and Harmony, and Hermione with Draco. It was an odd sight to behold. Snape watched them all with narrowed eyes.

As soon as a slow song began Hermione exited the dance floor and Harmony occupied Draco despite his pleadings. Snape watched her approach the table and sit down. She had left her drink next to Snape's and upon reaching for it she asked, "didn't poison it did you?" He was almost astounded she would ask such a question. Upon looking at her to retort he noticed her smile--not sarcastic, but playful. He realized she was not serious as she brought the glass to her lips. Her face was slightly flushed from the dancing. She radiated in a way that enthralled Snape.

This song was the last, so as soon as it was over the other four were standing before Hermione and Snape waiting for them to join them in going home. Once Hermione pulled the car into the driveway Harmony and Ophelia said their goodbyes and went home. Once they entered the house Harry, Hermione, and Draco headed straight upstairs. Snape used this opportunity to relax for a bit and read without the disruption of the Gryffindors and the rogue Slytherin.

Hermione stepped out of her room and gently rapped on Snape's door. There was no answer. In thinking about the day's events, she felt she needed to apologize to Snape. It was mortifying to think of what she did to him at breakfast. Realizing he was not in his room she felt a twinge of panic. Had he up and left again? She, slowly and quietly, tiptoed down the stairs. She stopped at the foot of the stairs. Snape was sitting on the couch reading. The light from the fireplace glowed around him as if an aura.

Snape did not hear Hermione come down the stairs and did not know of her presence until she seated herself on the couch. Snape started, but did not outwardly show this. Hermione could tell she had startled him because he stopped reading momentarily. He did not take his eyes off the book however.

"Sorry, I startled you, Professor."

"Miss Granger, I do believe Potter is not the only one who would have done well in Slytherin." Hermione frowned for a moment at this. Snape did not once look up from his book.

"Professor Snape, I am not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, so I am going to choose to ignore that comment." This time Snape looked up from his book. "I just came down to apologize for this morning. I should not have done that and I am sorry." On a whim she reached up and kissed the professor on the cheek before hurrying out of the room. It's something she would do to Harry, Ron, or even Draco, but not normally something she would do to Snape. Meanwhile, Snape was left stunned on the couch.

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As Snape descended the stairs he noticed Hermione sitting at the dining room table surrounded by her security wall of books.

Hermione had trouble sleeping after kissing Snape on the cheek without thinking. She ran off to her room cursing herself the entire way. She lay in her bed for quite a while debating whether or not to go see if Harry and Draco were awake. But she opted not to do that, as they had already been picking on her about a simple crush a couple years ago. Finally, she gave up on sleep and went down stairs to drown herself in her work.

Upon coming off the bottom step, Snape noticed she had the tea on the dining room table. Approaching the table without a word, Snape took a cup and poured himself some tea. Hermione glanced up at him and he still did not say a word.

"Your paper is there." Hermione pointed to the other side of the table. With a quick thank you, Snape sat down and began to read. Hermione listened to him as he read the paper. It was rather entertaining. He would make noises as he read--a grunt here, a snort there. No matter how long Hermione watched him, he would not look up at her.

Upstairs, Harry and Draco had already woken and were heading down the stairs. They heard Hermione telling Snape where the paper was and froze to listen. When the boys walked into the dining room and saw Hermione just staring at Snape, daring him to look up, they looked at each other and nodded. Both Harry and Draco could tell Hermione's crush on Snape was back on.

After everyone ate, Hermione, Harry, and Draco went outside to lay about the pool and swim. Hermione lay in her chair reading while the boys goofed off. Finally, they approached Hermione.

"Hermione?" Harry was the first to speak, wondering what wrath she would thrust upon their questions. She looked up from her book. "What's going on with you and Snape?"

She put her book down and looked at the boys both sitting there intently waiting an answer. "Nothing."

"Herms, never could lie properly could you?" Draco was looking at her with that arrogant smile he was so famous for. "Don't you think you are a bit young for him?"

Harry could see her glaring at Draco, probably with a million hexes running through her mind.

"What Draco is trying to say, is that we care about you enough to not want to see you hurt. Where you have always been mature compare to other girls I would not want to see you crushed by someone much older and more mature in that department. If you know what I mean." She rolled her eyes at Harry's stumbling speech.

"Did I say I had any feelings other than animosity toward the great bat?" The boys shook their head no. "Then stop being such prats." She picked her book back up.

Inside, Snape had emerged from his temporary lab. Stalking to the refrigerator he noticed the boys next to a barely dressed Hermione. For a reason he was not going to investigate, this put him in a foul mood. Did the girl have any modesty? He watched silently as Hermione placed the book down, closing her eyes. Snape's eyes narrowed at Harry and Draco on the other side of the pool heads together--up to something. The boys had some odd plastic thing in their hands and upon silently reaching Hermione caused water to shoot from it. Hermione jumped up. Snape noticed she had one of these objects under her chair. As she rose from the chair she grabbed it and began shooting back. Snape watched fascinated as the three of them hid behind objects to get out of shooting range and shot at the other.

Snape watched intently as Hermione swept passed the chair she had been in grabbing her wand on the way. She crouched in a bush next to the window he was watching out of. To his surprise when he looked down at her to see what she was doing that was not all he could see.

Snape froze.

'Good lord! Granger, put a shirt on for Merlin's sake!'

Glancing around, she took her wand and muttered something over the shooting contraption. With a self-satisfied grin she reached up to place her wand on the window ledge. In lifting herself slightly to enable her to reach the ledge she saw Snape staring down at her with a strange expression on his face. She had not realized he was there this whole time and part of her wondered how long he had been there. Her smile changed from one of self-satisfaction to a more cunning smile--as if she knew exactly what he had been looking at. Snape swiftly turned from the window. Hermione took off from her position to ambush Harry and Draco.

Snape thrust the backdoor open and walked quickly over to the three in the midst of their "war."

"Does that thing run out of water?" Draco's water gun had just emptied, but Hermione had yet to fill hers again.

"No," she laughed, "I charmed it to keep itself filled with water." Draco's face dropped at her cleverness. Hermione then felt someone gripping her arm. She jerked her head around to see Snape pulling her away from the boys.

"Let go of me."

"Miss Granger, I am only going to say this one last time. Go. Put. Clothes. On. Now." He still had a hold of her arm and was pulling her toward the house. Hermione was becoming fed up. Who did he think he was? He was not her father and at the moment not a professor.

"Let. Me. Go." Harry and Draco backed away hearing the poison in Hermione's voice.

"You are wandering about in front of pubescent BOYS in underclothing. I DO NOT think this is wise."

"IT IS A SWIMSUIT!" She was steadily becoming enraged. She was tiring of Snape behaving this way.

"MISS GRANGER, NOW!"

"MERLIN! STOP ACTING LIKE YOU ARE MY FATHER!" She jerked her arm away. "AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO ACT THE JELOUS BOYFRIEND!" With that said Snape turned around to only find Hermione's hands on his chest--shoving him in the pool.

Draco and Harry watched in horror.

SPLASH!

Hermione stomped into the house while a small owl followed.