Disregarding Reality

Hermione was taken aback by this interruption to her thoughts, and it didn't really register that Snape had just come into the Hospital Wing until he was halfway across the room heading towards her bed. He came to a halt at the foot of her bed and looked at her with concern.

"You're coming with me for a while," he said.

"Why?" replied Hermione.

"Because, for one thing, you missed today's class and need to get the notes, and I think the time I have given you to consider talking to me about what's going on has expired due to certain circumstances."

"Fine," replied Hermione bitterly

He went over to the side of her bed, took her hand, and helped her up. They walked over to Madam Pomfrey's office. Snape stuck his head in the doorway and called out, "I'm taking Miss Granger down to my office for a while; I'll bring her back before midnight."

Hermione heard a voice come from inside the office and assumed that it was from Madam Pomfrey. Snape then headed towards the door, with one hand on her waist and the other on her shoulder, guiding her through the hallways.

When they entered the office, his hand was still on her waist, gently holding her as he directed her into the chair across from his own. He went around the desk and sat, surveying her through dark eyes. After a moment, he turned his attention to a large pile of parchment on the desk. He picked it up and straightened it, momentarily turning his gaze to the papers as he put them down.

"Firstly, since you missed my lesson today, you will have to serve a detention. I am aware that you weren't admitted into the Hospital Wing until twenty minutes into my class, so you will serve that when you get out of the infirmary. Secondly, I'll give you my copy of today's notes so you can copy them out during your stay in the Hospital Wing. I don't want to see you falling behind, so I'll come up every day with notes. Is that alright?"

Hermione looked at him, surprised. "Fine, but don't expect me to study them."

"I'm not expecting anything at this point," came the quiet reply.

"Good."

"Now, on a much heavier note, Madam Pomfrey tells me that you refused to tell her what's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong."

"Well you're not leaving here until you tell me. I have essays to correct, so that will keep me busy until you decide to talk."

"And just to reassure you, I will keep everything confidential," he added with a hint of sarcasm.

"No you won't! You'll go running to Madam Pomfrey and tell her!"

"No, I will not."

"You're a Liar."

Snape stared at her with a look he usually gave to Harry.

"I will not be called a liar. I may be many things, but a liar is something I am not. Miss Granger, you have my word. When you're ready to speak, go ahead. But remember, we're not leaving her until you do."

And at that, he took up one of the parchments on his desk and began to correct it. Hermione sat in silence. She was not going to tell him what was going on, even if it meant being in this utterly disgusting classroom all night.

So they sat in silence for what seemed like forever. Snape went from one piece of parchment to another, sometimes crossing out the whole essay. At 11pm, he finally looked up. He stared inventively at Hermione as if trying to read her mind. Hermione would not make eye contact, knowing that was what he was seeking. Ten minutes later, he finally went back to correcting essays. Hermione eventually got annoyed.

"Didn't you promise Madam Pomfrey that you would have me back by midnight?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well, it's 11:45."

"Yes, but it is not midnight. We still have fifteen more minutes."

"And in fifteen minutes you're expecting me to spill my guts out and tell you everything?"

"No, I am not. But I am hoping that you will give me a hint of what is going on, and then we can finish this tomorrow night."

"Well, you're out of luck, because I'm still not talking about it."

"Fine, but we will do this every night until you do Miss Granger."

They fell silent for ten minutes, until finally, Hermione decided there was no way out of it.

"It's been going on forever; it's just gotten worse lately."

Snape looked up from the essay he was correcting.

"What is it?" he asked

"I'm not telling you tonight. You said that I only had to give you a hint, and that's what I did," she said with a grin.

"Very well. I will bring you back to the Hospital Wing."

He got up from his desk and walked over to where Hermione was sitting. She attempted to get up, but felt dizzy, and sat back down. Snape put out his hands and helped her out of the chair, putting one hand on her shoulder and the other on her waist, the same way he had helped her the first time. They then walked back to the Hospital Wing together. When they got there, Snape helped her into bed, covered her up, and walked away, leaving Hermione in confusion.