Beneath

Severus had tried to tell the other members of the Order about these rendezvous. About how Malfoy had convinced her to \"help him study\" day and night, in the library, by the lake, and here in Hogsmeade. He\'d heard them making plans to go to a muggle cinema in London last week after Potions. Once, Severus had even followed them to the muggle shopping center, listening to Malfoy\'s ridiculous jokes, watching him enjoy her smiles, her laughter, her hands softly caressing him, as she guided him around the shops. Severus sneered cruelly. If nothing else, at least he had the satisfaction of thinking of Lucius Malfoy violently contorting, rolling acrobatically in his grave.

While Potter and Weasley were clearly not happy about Hermione’s sudden absence from their daily lives, neither they, nor the other members of the Order would listen. They didn\'t understand the lifetime of manipulation that Malfoy had endured to follow in his father\'s footsteps. Severus really didn\'t expect them to comprehend the scenes of depravity and evil Malfoy would have witnessed in his own home, and the acts of cruelty he would have already committed to prove his loyalty. Malfoy was beyond saving, and Severus knew it the first time he looked into the boy\'s eyes. The boy was the embodiment of power-lust and violence.

The others reminded him that Voldemort was dead. Hermione was entitled to do what she wanted, see whom she wanted. He shook his head, she did not have that right. True, Malfoy\'s behavhad had altered significantly since his father\'s betrayal of him, and subsequent death. And, he admitted, the Death Eaters still at large were few, but Draco Malfoy would be such an easy recruit. A child could do it. Goyle could do it. Malfoy was created and conditioned for no other purpose than to assume the place his vicious father had left behind.

So Severus began to follow them, and they always came back here.

Every night for the past two weeks at 9:30, they returned to the Three Broomsticks for butterbeers. Well, Malfoy had butterbeer. Hermione had coffee. Severus had been watching her for so long, he knew every motion, every gesture she made as she prepared her cup. First, three spoonfuls of milk, never cream, measured exactly, were poured in, then two and a half packets of sugar. Two sugars were apparently not enough, and three, obviously too sweet. Then, she would fold and tuck the half-used sugar package under her saucer, in preparation for the next cup. She was so precise. He hated that. He wanted to ruin her perfectly glossy facade and her perfect life. He wanted to tangle his hands in her smooth curls. He wanted to smear his finger prints all over her. He wanted to hear her call out his name when she saw him, like she did for Malfoy. Gods! The thought of his name on her soft, sweet lips made him weak. It was like a knife slicing through his lower stomach, painful desire, twisting.

He glanced around the corner again. They were seated now, at the table closest to the windows. She had a serious expression on her face as she spoke. Was she, he though jealously, revealing the Order’s secrets to Malfoy? What if the remaining Death Eaters had chosen a new leader? In her need to make everyone around her happy, would she tear the delicate strands, the web of secrets that tied them to each other forever?

Weasley and Potter, ever the optimists, assured him that she was too loyal, too smart to take such a risk. That she certainly wouldn\'t tell Malfoy, because not sharing details of her participation in the Order, minor though it was in the beginning, almost cost her Weasley\'s friendship. But Severus had reminded Weasley that she finally did speak to him about her involvement with the Order. How could they trust her, Severus asked, now that they knew she had a breaking point?

Of course, he admitted to himself occasionally, all of this noise was a veil he used to distract himself and the others. He grew increasingly worried about Hermione. She was exquisite. She was precious. She held within her all of the glow and warmth of summer sunlight. She would nebe hbe his. He knew that she would never turn to him. She was little aware of his existence outside of the class room and the work they did for the Order. But she must not be with Malfoy either. She was created for a much finer man. Severus prayed day and night that wthatthat man arrived, he wasn’t around to watch.

Behind the glass she smiled again, gently combed her hair back from her face with her fingers, and rose from her chair. As she bent to pick up Malfoy\'s cup to take it back for a refill, her sweater dipped and revealed the ivory silk of the tops of her breasts. How he wanted to...he shook involuntarily again at his thoughts.


As always, the good professor was attentive. Hermione felt Severus Snape outside, before she caught a glimpse of his shadow, around the corner, across the street. The emanation of his power proceeded him. He’d been trailing Draco Malfoy for weeks. Draco was too dim to notice. Ron and Harry had privately confirmed it.

She didn\'t mention it to Draco.

A week ago, Draco caught her looking at the professor across the atrium of utdoutdoor muggle shopping mall. He’d disguised himself with the polyjuice potion, but she knew him. She felt him.


Malfoy asked, “Do you know that man?”

“I don’t know him,” she’d replied, half-listening, watching the professor cut through the crowd.

“Don’t lie to me,” Draco demanded, grasping her arm, pulling her close.

“I don’t think I ever knew him,” she whisper
“
“I see.”


During her first few years at Hogwarts, she allowed Professor Snape to affect her. She was fascinated and confused and angered by him. She didn’t understand, if he put a question before the class, why he didn’t want to hear the answer to it? He was beautiful and terrible, like a natural disaster…a forest fire. She was frightened by his rages, then.

But now she knew, on the days she could admit it to herself, that she had something within her that could save him.

But did she want to?

One thing was certain. If ever he kissed her, the heat he created in her wouldn Hon Hogwarts castle to the ground.