All the way

After telling Minerva that she had moved in successfully, having a cup of tea and an hour long chat, Hermione decided to go and see Hagrid. He had spent some time in France with Madam Maxime and had just got back.

She headed back to the dungeon first, however to get a coat. SHe had forgotten just how cold the castle could be. She wondered what Severus had been doing for the past hour.

Hermione hurried through her rooms to get her coat from the cupboard in her bedroom. She shoved it on and turned to leave, only to find Severus leaning against the door frame.

\"Going some where?\" He asked.

\"To see Hagrid,\" She shrugged, \"He just got back from a holiday in France. Wanna come?\"

Severus rolled his eyes, \"If it\'s the only way that i\'m going to see you today.\"

Hermione laughed and walked over to the door, linking her arm through his.

\"You\'ve been with me all bloody day. Its nearly four in the afternoon.\" She smiled as they started to walk from the dungeons.

Severus didn\'t answer, but looked down at her with liquid eyes. They walked arm in arm out of teh dugeons and down the school grounds to Hargrids hut.

Severus could see the half-giant doing something in his pumpkin patch. Hermione pulled her arms out of his and stopped. He stopped and looked down at her.

Hermione cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, \"HAGRID!\"

The working man looked up. He squinted and then shouted back to her. Severus watched as Hermione beamed and ran down to the giant, who opened his arms for her.

Slowly, Severus walked down to where Hagris was twirling Hermione around in his massive hands. The witch was laughing and giggling as her hair whipped arond her face. Finally, Hagrid let her down and hugged her tight.

Getting jealous, Severus cleared his throat loudly. Hagrid looked up.

\"Oh,\" He frowned, \"It\'s you.\" The distain in his voice was obvious.

\"Nice to see you too, Hagrid.\" Severus sneered back.

\"Stop it,\" Hermione warned, \"Hagrid, did Minerva tell you every thing?\"

\"Yeah, she told me what yeh did.\" His tone of voice told Severus that he thought Hermione had waisted her time.

\"Good, then you will know that the reason Dumbledore is dead is because he basically asked to be killed. Severus was following orders, just like you would have done.\" Hermione said kindly.

\"Do yeh trust \'im Hermione?\" The half-giant asked. Hermione looked over to him and smiled, then back to Hagrid keeping the same expression. She nodded.

\"Yes, yes i do.\"

\"Right,\" Hagrid shifted a bit, \"Well then... i heard that yeh gonna be a Professor.\"

\"Yes!\" Hermione squealed, \"Though only for a while.\"

Severus frowned as he followed Hermione and Hagrid into the hut. Only for a while?

\"What do yeh mean? Only for a while?\" Hagrid voiced what Severus was thinking.

Hermione sat on a chair at the table and Severus went to sat next to her. She was looking any where but at him.

\"I think it was kind of self explanitory,\" She said nervously, \"I\'m not staying for more than a year, if that even.\"

\"Why?\" Hagrid asked as he poured some tea, \"Yeh\'ll make a great Professor and it\'ll be great having yeh back in the castle.\"

\"Yeah, but i mean... Severus can have his job back full time,\" She glanced up at him quickly and then into the cup that Hagrid had handed her.

Severus couldn\'t believe it . She was leaving in a year, maybe sooner. When was she planning to tell him, IF she was planning to tell him at all?

Finding it hard to breathe, Severus practically flung himself out of the cabin and stormed back up to the castle like death itself.

Hermione bit her lip as Severus left in a billow of black robes.

\"Whats his problem?\" Hagrid asked as he plopped down in one of the chairs.

\"Oh Hagrid!\" Hermione put the cup on the table and her head in her hands, \"I\'m in a mess.\"

\"Let it all out Hermione, i won\'t tell no one.\" Hagrid said kindly.

\"Promise?\" Hermione looked up. Hagrid nodded. \"I\'ve read some where, that if one person helps another, then the other person can get attached to their \'savior\'. I thought that once Severus was out of prison he would come back to Hogwarts and get on with it, i didn\'t think he would get so cllingy. But now, i kind of like him...\"

Hagrid nodded in understanding.

\"And i know i will miss him when i go, but thats why i can\'t stay more than a year. If i do, i might never leave. He\'s been so... lovely to me, but i know what he\'s feeling is just like what i read about. I helped him and he doesn\'t want me to leave because he thinks that with out me he will go back into the place that i saved him from, and i don\'t just mean Azkaban.\"

\"Oh Hermione,\" Hagrid sighed, \"I don\'t think that Snape\'s the type of person to be -lovely- to just any one.\"

\"But his emotions will be all over the place, what with the press and every thing.\" Hermione argued.

\"Minerva told me that he was pretty cut up when you were stabbed.\" Hagrid said seriously.

\"She told you about that?\" Hermione asked.

\"Yeah, she said that she had never seen him so scared and that she can see the way he looks at yeh, all googley eyed.\" Hagrid smiled.

\"See, he thinks that he likes me... or something, but in a few months when he\'s back teaching, he\'ll realize that i\'m just the annoying know-it-all that was a constant thorn in his side.\" She said sadly.

\"Hermione, i\'ve known him nearly all his life and i know that if his feelings for yeh are real, then you are his perfect match,\" He said wisely, \"I think you need to go and find him and explain all of this to him and don\'t let his temper put you off.\"

Hermione new he was right and she had to go and find him. She downed the rest of her tea and stood up.

\"Bye Hagrid and thanks for listening.\" She smiled and left.

In his rooms, Severus downed his fourth glass of whiskey. He had never known a feeling like what was resting in his stomach now.

Part of him was saying he still had another year to convince her to stay, the other part of him was bubbling with anger and hurt. She said she would never leave him, but now she was. Well, not now, but soon; a year was not that long.

Severus slammed his glass on the side and left his rooms, he needed some air.