Not Yet (A Hermione Granger fanfic)

Chapter 17

The next morning, Hermione's shoulder aches worse than ever. She digs around in her bag for a pain potion, but to her dismay, she's run out. She'll just have to brew some more, and she's not too excited about the idea of Snape knowing what she's doing. But she's not sure how to get around it. He's taught her everything she knows, after all.

Well, not everything.

Get a grip, Hermione.

In the light of day, and without liquor to lower her inhibitions, Hermione is trying to summon the motivation to be angry at Snape for invading her mind last night. But then she remembers his eyes, pouring into hers, promising secrets and danger and . . .

Stop.

Snape is right to worry about her, if she's now looking for danger in her life. Although she's never gone looking for danger, it's just always appeared in front of her.

Well, maybe she's looked for it once or twice.

Hermione sighs. She's going to have to tell Snape about her shoulder. Immediately thoughts of his hands on her bare skin send goosebumps up her spine.

Ugh. She better be sure to employ Occlumency today.

Severus Snape—that's his name. The professor who made her miserable and bullied her mercilessly when she was an impressionable teenager. Impressionable, hmm. She hadn't been as impressionable as some, perhaps. And she survived it, after all. But the reminder does its purpose, and she strides confidently from the tent, refusing to fear Snape's words, actions, or looks today.

He's already sitting at the table, drinking tea, a book in front of him. It's one she loaned him yesterday before they stopped for the night. He's almost finished with it. With a pang, she remembers they are supposed to be researching his problem with Apparition. And also supposed to be searching caves for mysterious Dark wizards.

Snape nods to her as she sits, and sends a steaming cup of tea her way. It's good. They sit together in silence, while Hermione tries to read his page upside down. She doesn't interrupt him, though, knowing how much she hates that herself.

When he finishes the last page, he closes the book and places his hand over it.

"Anything new?" she asks.

He gives a quick shake of the head. "We'll have to read more tonight. If we leave the camp set up, we can just Apparate to our first cave, then use this place a base."

"Yes."

"Something wrong?"

"Umm. Well, we may need to postpone . . ."

"Again? We just wasted two days on a whim. What is it this time, Granger?"

"It's my shoulder—it's worse."

Snape sighs. "Are you going to let me look at it, or are we going to argue about that again, too?"

Hermione hesitates. It shouldn't matter as much as it does.

"Don't worry," he snorts. "I don't take advantage of women when they're in pain, in case you're wondering."

"I'm going to ask you nicely, Snape, not to use Legilimency on me anymore."

Snape rolls his eyes. "I didn't that time, Granger. Your body language is telling me everything I need to know."

"Well, what do you expect, the way you throw around flirty . . . flirtations all the time."

His lips twitch. "Flirty flirtations? How very eloquent."

Hermione straightens in her chair. "You know what I mean."