As Long As You Need Me

Chapter XVIII

The madness of love is the greatest of heaven's blessings.
- Plato (Phaedrus)
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Snape had been dozing on a chair at the foot of Hermione's bed; he woke with a start upon someone's arrival at the hospital wing.

"What happened? How is she?" McGonagall busily came over to Hermione's bed.

"She...hasn't woken up yet." Snape winced, rubbing his sore back from sitting on the wooden chair all night long. Hermione's skin had shrunk down to its usual size and the ointment applied helped bring down the reddishness but it was still covered with bruises from the stings.

Just as they stood watching, she stirred and slowly fluttered her eyes open. Madam Pomfrey came over to relieve her of the ropes that were binding her to the bed so that she didn't levitate off of it. Jack shook Hagrid awake, who had been snoring off on a bench.

After Hermione put to rest all of their concerned questions, she turned to Snape; he had been standing silent and still, looking over the others' shoulders to check whether she was really okay. She knew he would be angry. After he was sure she was fine, his eyes lit up with fire as he let the animosity consume him. "Hunting for Billywigs in the forest at night! Care to explain yourself?"

Hermione knew this was coming but she didn't know how to defend herself right then. "I...I- Jack told me about the hive, so I...I thought, I could collect a few stings..." She couldn't bring herself to admit that her intention was to impress him; she realised how stupid it would sound, "I was just trying to compensate for the ones I had ruined-"

"Oh, so it was all for the challenge you made me to compensate for something you 'accidentally' ruined?" Snape couldn't believe her, "I don't understand you Granger- you didn't think twice before risking your life just to garner praise...to impress me!?"
He gazed at her with utter indignation and Hermione kept her eyes fixed downwards, truly ashamed.

This time none of the others could defend her either; they looked on, their eyes downcast at the plight of the girl, whose eyes were beginning to fill with tears. She pathetically muttered, "I'm...sorry..."

"Sorry? That's all you can say, can't you? 'Sorry' and 'Thank you'. Is there any other word in your vocabulary?" he asked with disapprobation. He was angered as well as quite disappointed. "You were right- you do whatever comes to your mind, without giving a single thought about the consequences! Because you don't care- you just don't care. About yourself or m-...or anyone else."

McGonagall stood up and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him, but he jerked it away and turned around, not willing to face her anymore. Hermione didn't miss what he stopped himself from saying, but she was too overcome with emotions and continued sobbing. Jack finally spoke. "It's all my fault- I shouldn't have said anything..."

"No, if it's anyone's faul, iz mine." Hagrid interjected, "I'm a teacher, I shoulda been more responsible. I shoulda offered to go with her but she seemed awfully confident abou herself...I didn't think much of it, owin to the fact that clever ol' 'Ermione has handled herself well in the past."

"I was confident." Hermione rubbed at her eyes angrily, "Professor Snape has taught me well how to handle these fantastic beasts. But I managed to screw it up like always..."

"Don't beat yourself up Ms.Granger." Jack consoled, "You were doing pretty good till something hit the hive..."

Snape's brows furrowed and he turned sharply to Jack now. "What hit the hive? What are you talking about, boy?"

He was a little startled but then replied honestly. "I'm not quite sure but to my knowledge, Ms.Granger had been successful in collecting a few stings without causing any discrepancies but then, something disturbed the hive- something alien hit it from outside, making the bugs go flying right at her. When I saw her getting attacked, I ran to fetch Professor Hagrid."