The New Severus Snape

The Bad Plan

Several days later

Hermione had avoided Severus for two weeks, not answering any questions in Potions. To Severus, it was a little alarming. She was letting her work load pile up, and didn't turn in her homework anymore. Her love potion assignment was a day overdue, and she didn't turn in a recent essay that Remus had asked him to take up today since today was the full moon. Her grades were dropping fast, and he knew as a teacher he had to talk to her. He didn't want to however because he knew he would end up breaking in some form.

"Miss Granger," he said coolly, "stay after class."

She nodded without saying a word. Harry, Ron, and Ginny looked confused at her. It was the second time she didn't turn in anything. It was worry-some to them. Remus had them all working with hippogriffs again, only this time it was young ones, babies. They were taking care of them as an assignment in class. Hermione had taken it upon herself to ignore her young creature, which displeased not only Snape, but the hippogriff. It let out a loud screech to show its anger.

"Five points from Gryffindor Miss Granger," he sneered at her. Unnerved by the points he'd just taken, she didn't say anything.

After class was over, Harry, Ron, and Ginny waited at the edge of the forest where they were working. "Potter, Weasly's, I did not ask you three to supervise this talk between Miss Granger and I, did I? I would recommend running along to your next class before I take points from each of you." They hurried off without looking back. Severus turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, you have failed to turn in your love potion assignment, and now the paper assigned by Remus. All class you were ignoring your young hippogriff which I know you are doing on purpose. Why?"

Hermione didn't answer right away, and for a moment, Severus thought he was going to have to repeat himself. "Because sir, I know who I smelled," she said.

It scared him. He had no idea what she was going to do.

"Professor, I don't want to get you into trouble. But it made me mad that you didn't tell me it was you, when I already knew."

Severus hardly dared to breath as she stepped forward. She was just inches from him and he didn't like it. He didn't know if she liked him or not. She couldn't like him. Who would like a guy that pretended to kill his headmaster, then turn his back on people that thought him on their side. She fluttered her eyelids at him, as he breathed just a little faster. He was leaning against a tree where the young hippogriffs had been kept in a large compound part of the forest. He was unable to backup any further. He was trapped.

She closed her eyes, and moved closer to him. In desperation, he slid sideways and let Hermione crash into the tree. He swallowed hard as her eyes fell onto his. They both were catching their breaths, unsure of what to do next. She wanted him, and she was sure he knew it. The problem was, did he want her?

"Miss Granger, you will report to my office tonight at seven for not turning in assignments." Severus said.

Hermione huffed and left in a hurry without even looking at Severus. She was crying, and went to the bathroom to cry before her next class. However, she missed all her classes crying. She couldn't stop. She was even ten minutes late for her "detention" with Severus. Not that she cared anymore. As she hurried to the dungeons, she ran into Severus, who looked at her curiously.

"You're ten minutes later, Granger," he pointed out.

"Really, I didn't notice," she said sarcastically.

He hissed at her sarcasm. "Come with me," he said, turning back to Hermione and heading for his study. She was right at his heels, sniffing as if she'd been crying.

All he wanted was to hold her and kiss her. However he held back. He didn't know what she would say to that, even with what happened this morning. Call him stupid, but he never really had a relationship before. He loved Lily, but they were not an item, just friends. He opened the door to his study and muttered, "inside."

She hurried in, taking in the room. He drew up a chair for her beside his desk. "Paper and quill out, Granger," he said sadly. "You are to write 'I will turn in my homework' until I say stop."

Hermione started. She was going to do whatever she had to spend time with him, even if it meant failing her classes. Uncalled for? No, surely not. She had written 25 lines already when her stomach had growled. He ignored it. However, her stomach was really wanting food. She didn't have dinner because she was crying because of what he did. Severus stood up suddenly. She watched him disappear into a door behind his chair and come out with a plate of ham sandwiches and butterbeer.

"Here, you didn't eat dinner because of me," he muttered to her, setting the plate and goblet down for her to start eating.

"Thank you, sir," she said, taking a sandwich and eating as she wrote. It was so good.

"Good?" he asked.

She nodded, her mouth full.

"I like ham, I've learned the best ways to cook ham for different purposes. A simple recipe for ham sandwiches, this," he said casually taking a sandwich for himself.

"Well, thank you," she said once again.

"No problem," he muttered lowly. She was too busy eating and writing to hear him though.

It was half pasted nine when Severus told her to stop. The sandwiches had been munched on all the time by both of them. A few times they had reached for the same sandwich, and both retreated at the same time, confusing the each other. "Now, Granger," Severus said, standing, "please take the time out of your busy schedule to do essays that are assigned in the future."

She listened, but knew she wouldn't. She wanted to spend time with him, and if getting detention would make him, then fine. She had a plan, a completely mad plan, and it was in action already. Sly. Severus dismissed her with a wave, then vanished the rest of the sandwiches with a flick of his wand. As Hermione was leaving, he put his head in his hands, almost defeated. There was sadness in his posture, which made Hermione all the more determine to get her plan moving further. She left in a hurry, wishing it was potions already.

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