I Will Come To You In Your Dreams

And to my reviewers, you know who you are, thank you so much for making my writing worth while. I love reading what you have to say and appreciate every word! This chapter is dedicated to you!!!!!


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Chapter 9

"Hermione?" Hagrid said, stepping out from behind the door, eyes open wide with surprise. "Hermione Granger! Is that you?"

"It's me, Hagrid," Hermione said, smiling up at him.

He laughed aloud, then reached out and pulled her to him in a bone-crushing hug. He smelled faintly of clean, fall air and grass.

"Oh, it's so good to see yeh!" he exclaimed, pulling her into the hut and slamming the door behind them. "I was beginning to wonder when yeh'd be down ter visit."

Hermione took a seat at one of the enormous chairs around the table and beamed up at him. He was bustling around the hut making tea and preparing a plate of something. Hermione paled. She prayed they weren't rock cakes.

"I don't know how the time got away from me so fast," Hermione said, gratefully accepting the steaming mug of tea he handed to her. "I've been here since July and haven't been down once! I'm so sorry!"

"Ah, it's alright," he said, waving a hand at her, crumbs flying off of the piece of shortbread he was holding. He took a large bite and gazed at her thoughtfully with narrowed eyes. "I spect you've been awfully busy what with preparing for the school year." He grinned mischievously at her as he chewed. "Not to mention all those flying lessons with Professor Snape."

Hermione sputtered into her teacup, shocked eyes flying up to meet Hagrid's. His shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter.

"I don't know what you're on about," Hermione said stiffly, straightening up in her seat. "I needed to learn, that's all. Do you honestly think Harry or Ron were ever patient enough to help?"

"Ah, I spose not," he said, still chuckling at her. "But really? Before now if someone had told me that Hermione Granger would be gettin' along with Snape I would've called 'em barmy old fools!" He gulped down his tea in one drink, then wiped his face with the back of his arm. "Do I even need to bother askin' if yeh've told Harry and Ron?"

Hermione shook her head, a blush creeping up into her cheeks.

"Ah, well, I spect they might not take to the idea very well," Hagrid said. He stared at her for a moment, then finally spoke. "Has he been summoned yet?"

"Yes," Hermione whispered, "Just a few days ago." She looked up into Hagrid's beetle-black eyes. "It was awful! I hated seeing him in so much pain, Hagrid! Why does he have to do it?"

Hagrid leaned across the table and placed his large hand over Hermione's, literally enveloping it in his hand, and squeezed lightly.

"Dumbledore wouldn't send him if he weren't helping, Hermione," Hagrid told her. "You just have to learn to trust him. There's no point in workin' yerself up over it." He gave her another squeeze before releasing her hand and picking up another piece of shortbread. "You're strong, Hermione. You can handle this."

Hermione smiled gratefully at Hagrid. This was exactly what she needed. She had needed an old friend to confide in and get things off of her chest, and Hagrid had come through magnificently.

She picked up a piece of the shortbread and took a bite, savoring the sweet flavor.

"So, Hagrid," Hermione began, twinkling at him over the rim of her teacup. "Have you heard from Madame Maxime lately?"

His cheeks immediately burned red, confirming Hermione's suspicions.

"Ah, yes," Hagrid said in a strangely gruff voice. "We spent the summer together in France."

And with that, Hagrid launched into a complete blow by blow of his summer, leaving Hermione's mind free of worries and able to simply enjoy her time with an old friend.

Hermione ran up to the castle, her hair billowing out behind her. It was after 7:00 and she was late for dinner. Not that Hagrid's shortbread hadn't been delicious, but it certainly didn't fill her up. She slammed the front doors open and skidded to a halt. The entranceway was jammed with students, all of them pushing their way toward the Great Hall.

"You there!" Hermione called to a passing student. The girl turned and smiled kindly at Hermione. "What's going on?"

"The doors have been blocked for the past hour," the girl answered, a grin breaking out across her freckled face. "Peeves thought it would be funny to stick the doors shut with loads of bubble gum."

"Imagine that," Hermione muttered darkly. "Thank you, Miss?"

"Duncan," she answered, nodding her head. "Samantha Duncan."

"Thank you, Samantha," Hermione said, smiling. She made her way slowly through the crowd, inching closer and closer to the Great Hall. She found Severus with his wand out, throwing spells at the gum that was stubbornly keeping one of the doors from opening. She tapped him on the shoulder. He whirled around, looking for all the world as if he wanted nothing more than to curse the first person to speak to him. His face immediately relaxed, however, when he noticed that it was Hermione who had interrupted him.

"Boy, Severus, if looks could kill," Hermione said, smiling cheekily up at him. "I'd be six feet under."

He scowled at her before turning back to the door.

"Need some help?" she asked, peering around him at the door. Thick, purple bubble gum was seeping through the cracks and bubbled around the hinges. It was an awful mess.

"No," he answered, a low growl in his voice making her shiver. Good God, the things that voice could do to her. "Why don't you go on in and eat some dinner, Hermione." He stood back and placed his hands on his narrow hips. "I'll be finished in just a moment." He paused and scowled at the door. "That ever-fucking Peeves!" He shouted, making several students stop and gape open-mouthed at him. He glared hard at them and they shuffled off, heads down, none of them daring to cross the Potions Master. "He had to use the only chewing gum guaranteed to stick relentlessly to anything it comes in contact with. I'll be damned if I can find a spell to get rid of it."

Hermione calmly stepped around him, pointed her wand at the door, and said, "Annihilare chewing gum!" The purple substance immediately dissolved into crystals and fell, tinkling, to the floor. "See you at dinner." She smirked at him, twirling her wand between her fingers, and stepped into the Great Hall.

He scowled after her for a moment, then waved his wand over the crystals on the floor, sweeping them off and out the door. 'May as well try to be useful,' he thought to himself, raising his chin and striding in the doors and up to the Head Table. Dumbledore's eyes immediately found Severus and he winked knowingly at him. Severus scowled up at him, then he strode up the stairs and around the back of the table to take a seat next to Hermione. She looked up as he slid noiselessly into the chair, his jaw set stubbornly.

"Hello," Hermione greeted him, pouring him a glass of iced pumpkin juice. She pushed it toward him and watched as he wordlessly picked up the glass and brought it to his lips, her eyes widening when he brought the glass away from his mouth and ran his tongue slowly across his lips, licking the pumpkin juice off of them. She shivered involuntarily, imaging what that tongue could do to her, given the chance. He glanced knowingly over at her, a small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Something bothering you, Hermione?" he whispered, eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

She flushed and looked down at her plate.

"Nothing," she lied, pushing her piece of chicken around with her fork. "You?"

He laughed lightly and reached under the table to place one large hand on her thigh. His thumb grazed gently over the soft fabric of her robes, making tremors rocket through her body.

"I'm just fine," he whispered leaning closer until his mouth was right next to her ear. "You, on the other hand, seem to be falling apart quite rapidly." His hand slid farther up her thigh, until it was nearly all the way to the top. "Whatever could be the reason?"

Her head whipped around, her wide eyes meeting his hooded ones. So this was the game he wanted to play? Well, she would just have to play along, wouldn't she? She let her eyelids close a bit, then laughed, a deep, seductive laugh. His eyes widened as she laughed.

"Oh, Severus," she murmured, reaching down to take his hand from her thigh. She ran her fingertips along each of his fingers, and down between them, letting her fingers circle his as she moved from one finger to the other. She looked up at him and smiled. "I think you know what's bothering me." She let her hand trail down his wrist and forearm, then over to his thigh. His muscles tensed up, then slowly relaxed as she trailed circles over the fabric of his pants, inching higher and higher. He caught his breath when she trailed ever so lightly over the bulge in his trousers. She smiled knowingly at him, then abruptly pulled her hand away and resumed eating her dinner. He stared open-mouthed as she brought her spoon to her mouth and slowly licked vanilla pudding from the surface, her tongue dancing around the metal seductively.

Good God, but he was hard! It would be quite awhile before he would be able to get up from the table. Damn her! He glared over at her as she repeated the process with the pudding, making the blood throb even harder in his groin. That wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to turn the tables like that! Severus smiled down at his plate of roast chicken. But that was something he loved about her. She could make your head spin faster than a top sometimes. He stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye and watched as she cut her chicken into tiny pieces, biting her lower lip in concentration. The bulge in his trousers twitched. Dammit! Did every move she made have to be such a turn on? He stabbed angrily at his food, then finally popped a piece of chicken in his mouth, chewing as he thought of Hermione. He chuckled as an image formed in his mind. The image consisted of Hermione lying in a large glass dish, covered from head to toe in pudding that he was supposed to eat off of her body. Oh, but that would be one delicious dessert! Only one thing could make him feel terrible right now.

"Severus!"

And there it was. Severus flinched when he heard the familiar voice float over from behind him. He turned and looked into the smiling face of Madam Hooch. He groaned quietly as she strode over to his side and took the seat to his right.

"How are you feeling, Sev?" she asked, jovially slapping him on the back.

He grimaced.

"Fine, thank you," he said, distinctly noticing the deflating feeling going on between his legs. Damn her! He glanced over at Hermione and found her glaring at Madam Hooch, her eyes seeming to spark with jealousy. 'Well, well, well,' Severus thought to himself. 'This could be fun.'

He turned back to Madam Hooch and smiled, watching as her eyes lit up.

And how are you this evening?" he asked, pouring her a glass of pumpkin juice. She accepted the glass gratefully.

"Wonderful!" she answered, taking a long drink of the juice. He grimaced at the sound her throat made as she drank. Disgusting! He immediately pulled the smile back to his face when she looked back at him, a coy smile on her face. "You're such a gentleman, Severus."

He laughed lightly and shook his head.

"Oh, no," he said. "A real gentleman would have told you how wonderful you look this evening."

She giggled. She actually giggled when he said that! He barely held back the laughter trying to bubble to the surface.

"Oh, come on now," she cooed, slapping him lightly on the arm. "I just wanted to tell you how glad I am that you made such a speedy recovery. Our new nurse must have done a wonderful job."

Severus turned and smiled at Hermione, then turned back to Madam Hooch.

"Yes, it could be," he said, thoughtfully. "But then, I've always been a swift healer. Medicine may have had nothing to do with it."

He felt Hermione tense beside him, then watched as her cheeks immediately began to redden in anger. She pushed back her chair and stood abruptly.

"Excuse me," she spat, turning and striding as fast as her legs would carry her out of the Great Hall.

"Well," Madam Hooch muttered, eyes wide with shock. "I wonder what's gotten into her."

Severus chuckled, then shook his head.

"I have no idea."

Hermione flew out the doors, her robes billowing majestically behind her, and made her way toward the front doors. She pushed them open and stepped out into the cold night air. It felt wonderful on her burning cheeks.

"How dare him!" she hissed to herself, walking as fast as she could to burn off some of the anger.

How dare he play with her like that! One minute he was practically shaking with desire for her, and the next he was flirting with another woman. Madam Hooch, no less! Did the man have no taste?

She strode over to the edge of the lake and plopped down on the grass, her back resting against the trunk of a tree perched near the edge. She picked up a handful of stones and began tossing them out into the inky black water, watching as the stones made circles dance out from the impact site across the smooth surface.

"You shouldn't do that," a voice said from behind her. She whirled around on the ground, heart hammering wildly in her ribs. Severus stood, leaning casually against the trunk of the tree, smirking down at her. She glared up at him and turned back to the water, tossing another stone out in the process.

"Why not?" she asked, bring her arm back to throw another. His hand closed around her fist, bringing it slowly down to the ground. He sat down next to her, still holding her hand in his, thumb idly stroking across her skin. She yanked her hand back and crossed her arms over her chest. "I said, why not?"

He laughed lightly.

"Because, my dear," he began, pointing out at the water. "If you have forgotten, there is a giant squid in there who does not like to be disturbed while sleeping." He looked over at her, a completely serious expression on his face. "She's terribly moody."

Hermione couldn't help it. She laughed. She threw her head back and laughed as hard as she could. It was such a tension reliever to have someone joke around like that. Even if the person joking was the one who made you tense in the first place. She hardly noticed when he joined her in laughing, then reached back over and took her hand in his. She didn't pull away this time. She simply enjoyed the feeling of his warm hand closed tightly over hers. She scooted closer to him, enjoying the feeling of security coming from him.

He looked over at her and cleared his throat.

"I couldn't help but notice how abruptly you left the dinner table," he said, smirking down at her. She glared at him. "Why in the world did you do that?"

She harrumphed at him and looked back out at the lake.

"I don't suppose it means anything to you," she said, turning her head away from him, "but I was actually enjoying your company before she came along."

"Really?" he asked, sarcastically. "I didn't notice between the groping and spoon licking."

She whirled around to look at him, fury written all over her face.

"Excuse me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him and yanking her hand back from him once again. "I was groping? I believe you started it, Severus." She leaned toward him and mocked, in a low voice, "Why Hermione, it seems as if I'm having too much of an effect on you. Shall I pull up your robes and bend you over the table?"

Severus glared at her.

"Oh, please," he muttered, scowling darkly at her. He put on a high, squeaky voice. "Oh, Severus, watch me lick the pudding off of this spoon. You'll soon be putty in my hands, dreaming that it's not the spoon I'm licking, but you."

They glared at eachother for several moments, both of them contemplating the next insult they would throw at the other. Hermione didn't know how it happened, but before she knew it, she had reached up and pulled Severus' head down and pressed her lips hungrily against his. He stiffened for only a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling them both up to their knees. She felt his tongue run along the crease between her lips and moaned aloud before opening her mouth and allowing him entrance. Their tongues danced together, meeting and retreating in complicated patterns, their hands running blindly over the other, pulling at the fabric of their robes, trying to free eachother of the constraining cloth. She brought her hands up and pulled at the band holding his hair back, then ran her fingers through the soft tresses, reveling at the feel of it between her fingers. His hair was as soft as satin, not greasy at all tonight.

Their kisses became more and more fevered, his lips finally leaving hers to nibble his way down her jaw, then moving on to the delicious place where her neck met her shoulder. She shivered, running her hands up and down his back, then back up to his hair again.

"Mmm, Severus," she moaned, smiling to herself.

He immediately stiffened, then pulled back, a look of horror on his face.

"What is it?" she asked, sitting back on her feet, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"We shouldn't be doing this," he whispered hoarsely, yanking his fingers through his hair.

"Why?" she asked, reaching up to touch his face. He took her hand and pulled it away from his cheek.

"I don't want to put you in danger," he said, kissing her lightly on each knuckle.

"Severus," Hermione began, frowning. "You can't put me in any more danger than I already am." She paused and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Harry Potter is my best friend. Voldemort could very well use me to get to Harry. You know that."

"You don't understand, Hermione," he said, standing up and looking out over the lake. "I am a Death Eater. You are a muggle-born witch." He looked down at her and frowned. "The first on Voldemort's list of enemies. I can't put you in that kind of danger. If he were to find out that I was with a muggle-born..." He trailed off, looking back out at the lake again. "I wouldn't be able to keep you safe."

"Severus," Hermione pleaded, scrambling up to stand next to him. "Severus I want this more than anything. Can't you see that?" She stepped in front of him and forced his eyes down to hers. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. "Please, don't do this."

He bent down and captured her lips in a soft kiss, then hugged her tightly.

"We just can't," he whispered, taking a few steps backwards, a look of intense pain on his face. "I can't do that to you. I'm sorry."

With that, he turned and ran up to the castle, his cloak billowing out behind him.

Hermione didn't know how long she stood, staring up at the door to his office, her hair and cloak flitting about in the wind. But she remembered the exact moment her heart broke. She had just looked down at her watch. It was 8:15pm. She crumpled to the hard ground, buried her face in her cloak, and sobbed, the tears streaming down her face, great keening wails welling up and breaking through the silent night. She cried for the love she had gained for a moment and lost just as quickly. She cried for her loneliness. But most of all, she cried for Severus, the man she still loved more than anything. He didn't know it, but he had changed her, just as surely as a fire changes the face of the wood it consumes for fuel. She'd be damned if she let him get away that easily. She slammed her fist into the hard ground, gritting her teeth together in anger. Damn Voldemort! Damn him!

She stood up and wiped her face with both hands, then turned and looked out at the lake. The moon was reflected in the water, the light dancing across the surface, and coming to rest on her face.

If anyone were to look out at that very moment, they would wonder what kind of strange magic was taking place at the lakeside. Hermione was angry. Angrier than she had ever been. Power was pulsing through her in sharp waves, her eyes closed as she felt it. But on top of that power was something else...love and indescribable heartache. As these things pulsed through her body, something was happening. The wind picked up sharply, her hair whipping around her face, cloak flapping in the wind and floating around her thin frame majestically.

She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. The wind died down just as suddenly as it had picked up. She looked around her slowly, then gazed down at her hands. Crescent shapes were etched deeply into her palms from closing her fists too tightly against the pain. Blood had started to ooze out of a couple of them. She wiped the blood from her palms with the edge of her cloak and sighed.

"I love you so much, Severus," she whispered, tears pricking at her eyes again. "Please don't leave me. I know you love me, too."

She turned away from the lake and started back toward the school, head bowed in pain. She didn't notice the dark figure that stepped out from behind a tree and stared after her as she walked up the path.

Remus Lupin watched one of his favorite people walk resolutely back up to the school, shoulders slumped in defeat, and sighed deeply. She didn't deserve this pain. He glared at the door to Severus' chambers and clenched his fists. That man would listen to reason if Remus had to tie him to a chair. She loved him. How could he just push her love aside that easily?

He pulled his cloak up over his head and stalked toward the low door in the far wall, with every intention of giving Severus a good talking to. He rapped loudly on the door.

"Severus!" he called, slamming his fist into the wood door repeatedly. "I know you're in there!"

The door slowly creaked open.