A turning moment in life

‘Miss Granger, if you have finished drooling over my valuable collection, I think it wise to show you to the lab you’ll be working in.’ Severus’ snarky side was showing to cover his discomfort.



‘Oh!’ Hermione jumped a little when he heard his voice, ‘Yes, of course.’



She followed the Potions Master to his private laboratory. They descended the staircase, hidden behind a tapestry of Salazar Slytherin, which connected his office with the lab and his storeroom. The way down was pitch black and the walls were made of stone, just like the tunnel Harry and Ron described to her when they descended to the Chamber of Secrets, how suitable for a Slytherin. Hermione suddenly could not suppress a giggle at the sudden image that appeared on her mind.



‘What is it you find so amusing, Miss Granger?’



‘Nothing, Professor. But now I can tell everyone that you really are a vampire, just as they all imagined.’



Hermione felt the air around her turn as cold as if there were a Dementor hanging over her head. She felt Snape’s arms pinning her against the wall with so much strength that she was paralysed with fear.



‘Granger, you will never speak to me that way again.’ Severus voice froze the blood in her veins, now she understood why he had been so high in Voldemort’s ranks. Her own name had not been used as such an insult before, ‘Or the consequences will be much worse than if I were a real vampire.’



Hermione shuddered and nodded. It was the only thing she could do without fainting. Snape realized how frightened she was, it was what he intended, but something at the back of his mind kept nagging him, telling him to back down. He needed to stop scaring the crap out of her, she was going to share his space for two years and she would not work in these conditions. He was sure she would run to McGonagall as soon as he released her.



Hermione felt like running when his fingers stopped bruising her arms. She wanted to scream, but found she could not move. It was all her fault, he never took jokes of himself well, and she should not have laughed at him. Stories about how the marauders made fun of Severus came to mind and she was extremely sorry about her comment on his appearance.



When he turned around and continued the descent to the labs, she whispered, ‘I’m sorry.’ Severus froze. That was totally unexpected. He felt like he should apologize, too, but the words did not seem to find their way out.



‘It’s O.K., Hermione. It won’t happen again. I’ll understand if you want to leave now.’



‘No. I should have kept my mouth shut as you always tell me to. I’ve always respected you and won’t talk like that again.’



The rest of their day was spent in silence. Neither Severus nor Hermione wanted to destroy the thin line that still connected them. She was still shocked at what she told him, but also at him using her first name. He had never done that before and that was what really made her change her mind about leaving, though she would never admit it.



**__**__**



The first month went by really fast. Hermione did not have any time left with the brewing and the project. She still went out at the weekends when Ginny did not have to be in the Hospital Wing attending patients.



Ginny had been flirting with Draco shamelessly and, surprisingly as it was, he seemed interested. Hermione thought she should try harder to get on better with the blond Slytherin, at least for Ginny’s sake.



‘Erm… Malfoy,’ stuttered Hermione. ‘Can we talk for a second?’



‘What do you want, Granger?’



‘Well, I thought we could bury the axes now. We’ll be working together here for two more years, so I guess it would be easier if we tried to forget the past and start anew.’



‘Why would I want to do that?’



‘Why are you always so difficult? First, Malfoy, I gave up my apprenticeship to help you and second, you’ll be dating Ginny soon, so at least we should try to be nice to each other.’



‘I knew you’d throw the apprenticeship into my face sooner or later,’ snorted Draco. ‘At least you’re not trying to befriend me to get into my godfather’s pants.’



‘What? What do you mean by that?’



‘I know something’s happened with Severus, he’s been acting differently since you’ve been down in the dungeons. The fact that you’re approaching me could be interpreted as a move…’



‘You’re such a pig, Malfoy,’ Hermione cut him off before he finished his accusations. ‘I’ve never been, and never will be, interested in Professor Snape that way, Malfoy! I’m just trying to be nice to you because Ginny is my friend, that’s all.’



‘O.K., whatever.’ Draco waved his hand dismissively. ‘We can be “friends” from now on, but not with Potty or Weaselby, so do not boss me around.’



‘Fine!’



‘Bye, Granger.’



When they parted, Severus came out of the darkened corner in which he was hiding. He was extremely angry, though he did not want to admit why. The fact Hermione made her feelings about him crystal clear to Malfoy had the Potions Master reaching the darkest mood since the start of the year. He was ready for some good point taking. Gryffindor was going to lose the House Cup tonight. He turned, snapping his robes, in pursuit of rule breakers with whom to bend his seething anger. And with Hermione, he had some ideas on how to make her regret her decision in becoming his apprentice, he was sure she would not survive until Christmas.