I Will Always Find You

AN: Well, I\'m still feeling crappy; but I\'m not too sick, thank the goddess!


Reviewers: Hugs to all you guys! Thanks for all the well wishes!


JTBJAB: LOL thanks! I know it\'s so darn sweet! Hope you like this one!


Chris: I know, under all that black and the scowl he\'s just a big old softie! LOL


Sarah: I\'m glad you like this so much. I hope this was fast enough!


TaintedAngel: Thanks hon! I hope you feel better soon. Me too!! I could read forever. I\'m reading \"The Raven Warrior\" by Alice Borchardt right now. She\'s Anne Rices\' sister and she\'s just as talented! Thanks for the comments on the story. They really help me out when I\'m writing!


Sunflower: Thanks for the comments! They really help me when I\'m writing, cause I\'m usually worried that it\'s too slow or too fast. LOL


Anon: Thank you! I hope this chapter is to your liking!

Chapter 11. Beautiful Dreams

Hermione was up late reading the books that Professor Snape had given her. The next day was Sunday so she could have a lie in if she wanted to.

There were tons of intersting potions and theories in the books and Hermione was taking copious notes on them.

She was surprised that Harry and Ron hadn\'t bothered her; but they had seen her some into the common roon with the books. They must have assumed she was a lost cause.


After awhile she was having trouble keeping her eyes open, and not wanting to damage professor Snapes books by falling asleep on them, she put them away and went to bed.


She forgot to take her dreamless potion again; but this time she found herself in a garden. The sun was shining brightly and warming her skin.


She was seated on a stone bench in the middle of a patch of highly fragrant flowers. She\'d never seen flowers like them before.


She inhaled deeply and sighed. This place was so comfotrable. She would love to remain here forever.


She heard someone approaching and she greeted them without looking.


\"Hello love.\"


She was rewarded with a warm chuckle. \"I never could sneak up on you.\"


She smiled. His voice was like velvet. She never tired of hearing him speak.


\"Are you feeling better?\"


\"Yes. I think I am,\" she replied. He was standing behind her now, and his arms came around her shoulders in a warm embrace. His chin rested on the top of her head.


\"This can\'t last,\" he told her. \"You have to go back soon.\"


\"I know. But I can come back here again. I know I can.\"


She felt his jaw shift as he smiled. \"Yes, you can come back.\"


She tilted her face to the sky. The sapphire expanse almost making her dizzy with its enormity.
She heard a pounding noise coming from nowhere; but everywhere.


\"You must go now,\" he sounded sad. \"I love you.\"


\"I love you too,\" she whispered and her eyes snapped open.

The pounding was louder now. Hermione sighed and yelled, \"What!?\"

\"Mione! Open up. You\'ve been sleeping all morning!\" Ron called through her door.

She sighed and got out of bed. Crookshanks started purring and cozied up in the warm spot she had left. She envied him for a moment, allowed to wallow in bed all day with no annoying friends to drag him out.


\"C\'mon Mione, please? We need help with our homework.\"


\"A moment please, Ronald!\" She said exasperated. She was highly miffed at having her dream interrupted. It had been so wonderful. She put on her dressing gown and opened the door. Ron and Harry both were standing there.


\"If you two will give me a half an hour, I would like to take a shower and get dressed,\" she said.


\"All right \'Mione.\" Harry replied. \"We\'ll wait in the common room and then we can all go to lunch before we start working.\" The two of them clattered down her steps and she shut the door on their retreating backs.

Hermione sighed. She wished that for once she could have a Sunday to herself. It was true that helping the boys with their work also helped her study; but she really wanted to record that dream in her journal before she forgot the finer points of it.


She bathed quickly and dressed herself in casual muggle clothes. Jeans and a warm angora sweater her mother had given her at the beginning of term.


She met the boys in the common room and they went down to lunch. She was feeling quite happy after the dream and Harry remarked on her lighter mood.

\"I am feeling happier,\" she admitted. \"I had a lovely dream last night. I was in this beautiful garden.\"


They smiled at her, happy that she was feeling better. They might have been clueless boys; but they did notice when she was under the weather. Especially Harry. He was sensitive and often noticed when she was unhappy, even if she was trying to hide it.


Lunch was better than it had been. The Slytherins who were still staring at her recived an icy glare and surprised at the visciousness it carried, looked away and began minding their own business.


Severus was watching from the staff table and applauded her mentally. She glanced up at him and he gave her a quick smile.


She blushed and looked at Potter who was saying something to her. Severus was slightly smug at her reaction. Maybe she had feelings for him?


Then he scowled. She couldn\'t. He was just the greasy bat of the dungeons, and she was the irritatingly smart, pretty little Gryffindor Head Girl. He would never have a chance with her.


\"Don\'t be so sure, Severus,\" said a voice at his elbow, startling him out of his thoughts.


He jumped and then glared at the madly twinkling old wizard at his right. \"Dammit man, how do you know everything that goes on around here without even trying?\" He hissed.


\"It\'s not hard when you wear your emotions so plainly.\" Dumbledore said quietly. \"Don\'t think that Miss Granger is so shallow a person, Severus. And don\'t put yourself down so!\"


Severus sighed. \'Meddling old lemon-drop eating....\' he thought.

\"Oh and Severus, I don\'t know everything that goes on around here. Just most things. I see what most others miss, because I am a horrible old busybody.\"


Severus would have burst into laughter at this admission had they not been in the great hall. As it were, he just smiled and allowed the mirth to show in his eyes.


Dumbledore smiled back. \"Spend some time with her Severus. She\'s a bright girl. Her future and yours are bound.\"


Severus smiled again. Dumbledore was no seer; but his predictions usually came about. Yes, he would be sure to spend some time with her. And this meant too that Dumbledore had no objections.

Hermione was covertly watching the head table while the others talked around her. She saw Snape sitting there looking alternately angry and longing about something. She watched the exchange between him and Dumbledore and grinned when she saw that Professor Snape was trying not to laugh.


She wondered what Dumbledore had said that was so funny; but then Rons\' insistant voice broke into her musing and she turned to the conversation.


As expected, the rest of her Sunday was spent helping them study and finish what homework they were having trouble with.


Most of it was potions. To their bewilderment all three of them had gotten into N.E.W.T. level potions. They suspected that Dumbledore had something to do with it.


Hermione was relieved when she could finally say good night and go to her room. She immediately flopped on her bed and got out her journal. She wrote what she could remember of the dream down and then went to sleep. She had classes in the morning.

The week was extremely boring for her. She couldn\'t wait until Wednesday night. She hadn\'t seen Professor Snape outside of classes and meals and she was beginning to miss him.

Wednesday night after dinner, she told Harry and Ron she had an appointment with a teacher, escaped their questions and made for the dungeon.


When she got to the classroom, she knocked briskly and was told to enter.

Professor Snape gave her a rare smile when she came in. \"Good evening Miss Granger. I have the essays sitting on my desk for you to mark.\"


\"Good evening, Sir,\" she replied and smiled back at him shakily. For some reason his smiling at her had turned her insides to mush.


\"Miss Granger, I havent had the opportunity to speak to you since lunch on Sunday, and I wanted to compliment you on your handling of the situation. You didn\'t back down and you showed them that you were not afraid. I was very impressed.\"


Hermione smiled happily at the compliment. She\'d never recieved such words of praise from him and it really made her feel good.


She made her way to his desk with new confidence and sat down to grade the essays.


\"I marked one of them for you like before.\" he said absently, as he was measuring out powdered lacewing.


\"Yes Sir,\" she replied, just as absently, as her head was already bent over an essay.


After awhile, Hermione came across an essay she couldn\'t make heads or tails of. She glanced over at Snape and he was sitting at the table making a note of something. When he finished writing,she called him over.


\"Sir, I can\'t read this at all.\" she said, indicating the essay.


He came around behind the desk and leaned over her to see the essay. Suddenly she was all too aware of how close they were. His shoulder was brushing hers, and she could see the flinty grey flecks in his eyes that were not noticeable from farther away.


He scanned the essay quickly, and gave a snort. \"Give him a zero, Miss Granger. Mister Goyle has a habit of eating messy things while he\'s doing his homework.\"


He looked down at her and noticed that she was extremely close to him. Closer even than when he had stared into her eyes that night in the empty classroom.


He could see that her skin was flushed and she was breathing a bit faster than normal.


\"Are you all right?\"


\"Huh? Oh! Yes I\'m fine,\" she replied hastily.


He noticed smugly that she got even redder when she said it. She quickly bent over the essay and wrote a big zero on it.


\"Satisfying, isn\'t it?\" he drawled, trying to make her relax a bit.


\"Yes, actually.\" She managed to respond in a more normal tone. \"It makes up a little for the torment that He, Crabbe and Malfoy put us through all the time.\"

\"Yes, it pains me to admit that they are the three biggest gits in the entire school. Shame they had to fall into my house.\"

\"You\'re actually willing to admit to me, of all people, that those three are worse than anyone else in this enitre school?\"


He nodded, sighing.


\"Even Neville?\"


He actually barked a laugh at that one. \"That boy only needs a backbone. He has been better since your fifth year though, I\'ve noticed. He actually makes an effort not to flinch when he sees me.\"


She laughed, \"So you don\'t really hate him?\"


\"Miss Granger, with the exception of Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasely, who have caused me more grief than I can name, I do not hate any of the students here.\"


\"Not even Malfoy,Crabbe and Goyle?\"


\"Malfoy has it tough, Miss Granger. Could you imagine being Lucious\' child?\"


She realized he was right and shook her head. \"Crabbe and Goyle?\"


\"Merely too stupid to do anything but what they\'re told.\" he shrugged.


Hermione was becoming more at ease, when she looked past him and saw that the potion he was brewing was about to boil over.


\"Sir!\" She exclaimed and pointed to it.


He turned around. \"Aw shite!!\"

AN: That\'s all you get for now. I\'m giong to bed. Lots o\' love to all!