Anyone But Me

Chapter Seventy-Four

Insane. Stupid. Freak. Bitch. Masochist. Sanctimonious. Craven. Insolent. Slut. Traitor.

All of the nasty insults she could ever think of nagged at her, but she still broke the vow that she had made with herself. For the second night in a row, she was at the bedside of the boy who had broken her. A sick new game of twisted punishment that she had a limited time to play.

Hermione realized it was detrimental to any minute progress she had been able to gain over the days and weeks that had gone by. The bits of her hard work that had managed to survive last night unscathed could be obliterated with a candid whisper. And yet, there she was... Sitting in the chair next to his bed. One leg tucked up under her and the other pressed tightly against her chest so she could rest her chin on her knee and stare.

It was idiotic to stay put with the risk of Harry and his little schemes to know what Draco was up to during every single moment of his life. Her rationalization, if caught, the night before was her confronting the git about the duel. An easy enough excuse to believe when the time she had spent there had gone relatively quick. She would have no such justification for the hour she had sat and memorized his profile.

Intent on committing the details of his face softened with sleep to her subconscious. She couldn't live with it forever being contorted with his rage from the other night. Granted, it was a fruitless endeavor. After this final lapse in judgment, Hermione would have to harshen her already strict rules. Tomorrow was the first day she wasn't allowed to think of his existence.

No more glances to check on his welfare. No more late-night reminiscing during rounds. No more cognizant healing. Nothing. Tomorrow, he would become a non-entity, but tonight... He was the boy who she'd fallen in love with.

She was so preoccupied by her miserable thoughts that she didn't hear the sounds of approach until it was much too late, and a voice hissed in her ear, "What hope do we have if our star pupil is this brainless?"

There was no need for her to look over to confirm the owner. The voice of Severus Snape had haunted her nightmares for years, right along with the rest. She blinked slowly a couple of times, trying to figure out what she had done that was so horrible the Universe had a grudge against her.

This was evidently the wrong move because the menacing wizard reached down and gripped her shoulder in a tight pinch. His fingers dug into her flesh as he wrenched her from the chair. Not caring about the sudden clatter of the legs against stone or the way she stumbled to her feet. He quickly pulled her in front of him so she was blocked from Draco's view and pushed her forward with the intense pressure he controlled between her shoulder and collarbone.

Instinctively, she tried to jerk away, but it only made his hold escalate to the point that she had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out.

Pomfrey was at her door, checking on the disturbance, and her startled blue eyes widened more when she saw the unconventional cause. Before she was able to say anything to try and stop the pair, Hermione shook her head.

Thankfully, Draco's groggy voice called from behind the curtain, "Who... Who's there?"

The concern in the older witch's eyes as they crossed paths warmed Hermione and she felt a pang of guilt at her tactless manner when they had last spoken. Snape continued to push her from the Infirmary, letting the door slam shut behind them. A short distance later, once he was sure they were out of earshot of any prying, he let her go roughly.

Caught off guard, she staggered into the stone wall and winced as the rock dug into her palms. She took a deep breath, filling herself with a false bravado, and turned to face the outraged teacher.