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Spark	By : DivineAngel Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 20930 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Chapter 4: A
Familiar Book

Breakfast the following
morning brought greatly anticipated news from Bill. Ron ripped open
the letter and pushed his breakfast aside, much to both Harry and
Hermione's surprise. His eyes dashed back and forth across the page
at lightning speed, Hermione thought they might keep going and run
right out of their sockets with the sheer momentum. When he'd
finished, Ron let the parchment drop onto the table, he was obviously
disappointed. Harry picked up the letter and began reading it for
himself. Ron shook his head slowly.

"Well, he's not much
help. All he says about her is that her name's Audrey and they were
both in Gryffindor in the same year. They were friends, but not
really close, not like us." He indicated the three of them and
slumped down. Harry continued reading, more slowly than Ron had,
making sure he took in all the details.

"Apparently she was
really good at potions." Hermione's attention had been grabbed
at that and she glanced up at the black-clad potions master drinking
his equally black coffee at the staff table. "Used to get right
on Snape's nerves. Bill reckons she used to wind him up on purpose."
Harry continued. Hermione watched the new professor perched between
Snape and McGonagall, talking brightly with the latter, her back
almost fully turned on the former. It showed some nerve to so
deliberately block out such a formidable force. At first Hermione was
impressed with the newcomer. But she quickly remembered the profound
sadness she had seen in Snape's eyes that night in Grimmauld Place
and the image of him nursing a bottle of Firewhiskey came back to
her.

He just needs a good
friend, she thought suddenly. He's been on his own for so long, being
a spy must be an incredibly lonely life and he has no one to share
his thoughts and feelings with. Her reverie was interrupted by
movement all around her as people got up to go to the first lesson of
the day.

"What if Bill left
something out?" Ron was saying, his voice low. "What if he
fancied her, or she fancied him? What if they actually went out? Why
wouldn't he tell me that? Unless something awful happened." He
was starting to ramble and Hermione caught his arm as they walked.

"Ron, I'm sure they
really were just friends. He would have said if they'd been a
couple." He didn't seem appeased and continued his frustrated
rant all the way to Transfiguration. "Look," Hermione
snapped slightly, "Even if they did go out, it was a long
time ago. And it really doesn't matter. But, I really do think he
would have mentioned it, there can be no good reason to leave it
out." Ron stood stock still and considered her for a moment.
Eventually he nodded.

"You're right
Hermione. I'll shut up." True to his word, he didn't say another
word about it.

The rest of the day
passed quickly without event. The Gryffindors returned to the common
room after dinner and got right down to the important business of
celebrating Hermione's birthday properly. Dean had got some balloons
and charmed them to bob around the room whistling 'Happy Birthday'
merrily. Ron and Harry hung a 'Congratulations' banner over the
fireplace and drinks had been acquired. Hermione let her hair down
and enjoyed being made a fuss of. A few of her friends got a little
more than merry on the alcohol that had been procured, Ron got quite
talkative after a few drinks and sat her down to tell her how
beautiful Audrey Sullivan was. He'd been slurring his way through
descriptions of her hair and eyes for a full twenty minutes before
Ginny pulled Hermione away from him.

"You can't let him
start or you'll never get away." Ginny laughed and lead Hermione
over to a group of girls by the fire. The evening passed far too
quickly, Hermione didn't drink too much, just enough to be giggling
at most things. By one in the morning her eyes were involuntarily
sliding closed as her chin slowly nodded down to her chest. She
decided it was time to call it a night and slipped away quietly,
hoping not to ruin anyone else's enjoyment. As she reached the
staircase to the girls' dormitories she spotted Harry sat on the
floor, his back against the wall and his head in his hands. Hermione
paused and looked down at him, battling with her aching body and
drooping eyes over her concern for her friend. She wanted to comfort
him, but knew there was nothing more she could say, it had all been
said. She couldn't relate to what he was going through, she had never
lost her parents or godparents, or anyone else close to her. He had
lost so much, she didn't blame him for grieving, she knew it had to
run its course and decided to leave him in peace. If he wanted to
talk he knew he could come to her. She climbed the stairs slowly,
reached her dormitory and fell onto her bed face first, falling fast
asleep still fully dressed.

Monday came and Hermione
left breakfast for Arithmancy, swinging past the library to return a
book on her way. In her haste leaving the library Hermione ran
headlong into something tall and hard.

"Sorry." She
said reflexively as she looked up. Malfoy was towering over her, a
look of utter disgust on his sharp face. "On the other hand, no I'm
not." She made to move around him, but he matched her step and
blocked her path. She looked up at him with one eyebrow raised.
"Malfoy. Get out of the way." She said with a steady voice,
determined not to let him rattle her temper.

"Oooh. What's the
matter, Granger? Things not all roses in Dumbledore's camp?" A
sneer spread across his face and Hermione had no doubt that he was
referring to Sirius's death and Harry's grief. She shook her head
with pity.

"Honestly Malfoy. Is
your life so hard now that your dad's locked up in Azkaban where he
belongs that you have to resort to stating the obvious? I dare say
Voldemort's not too pleased now that his best men are behind bars. Is
he taking it out on their families by any chance?" She goaded
him. Something flickered behind his eyes, his sneer had dropped and a
cold, hard expression had replaced it. He stepped closer, leaning
over her, clearly trying to intimidate her.

"Watch your mouth,
mudblood." His fingers twitched over his wand, tucked into the
belt of his trousers. Hermione fought a rising urge to hex him to
high heaven and rolled her eyes instead.

"Can't think of
anything clever and original, eh? Have to resort to racist nicknames
in your attempt to threaten me? Well, it's not even remotely
threatening any more. Actually, it's rather pathetic." That was
the last straw for Malfoy, he whipped out his wand, taking a step
back to point it directly at her face. Hermione took a sharp breath
and closed her eyes instinctively.

"Now now children."
Hermione's eyes flicked open and she turned in the direction of her
saviour. Snape was walking towards them, as calm as anything, his
arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his forehead. "Malfoy,
lower your wand. No hexes in the corridors please." Malfoy did
as he was told and scowled, Hermione couldn't be sure whether it was
directed at her or Snape. Malfoy narrowed his eyes to slits and
turned on his heels, stalking off at a brisk pace. Hermione let a
long breath out, unaware that she had been holding it. She looked at
Snape and smiled slightly. He was just standing watching her, looking
slightly puzzled. Feeling brave, Hermione spoke first.

"What, no points
from Gryffindor?" Something changed in Snape's face, a cheek
muscle twitched, suggesting he was trying not to smile.

"Miss Granger, may I
ask what that little confrontation was about?" She looked up and
down the deserted corridor and took a step closer to the potions
professor.

"He was trying to
get a rise out of me I think. Suggesting that things are going badly
for the Order. I pointed out that things were undoubtedly worse on
the other side." She shrugged, "I think he was really after
an excuse to hex me." Snape looked unnerved, something Hermione
would have sworn she would never see. He was obviously concerned
about this relatively minor incident. She didn't like that at all. He
closed the gap between them and took her elbow, leading her into an
empty classroom next to the library, closing the door behind them.
When he let go of her arm he paced the room restlessly. She watched
him carefully, a deep frown on her face. This behaviour was so unlike
Snape, she was getting more and more nervous now that something was
horribly wrong.

"Miss Granger."
He stopped pacing and looked at her. "You must be very careful
of Malfoy. Careful what you say to him and mindful that whatever he
says to you is likely to have connotations." She looked at him
incredulously, talk about stating the obvious.

"I'm well aware of
that, Professor."

"Are you?" He
snapped, "There are things happening, something is building and
I don't think you realize just how serious it is." He turned and
began pacing again. Hermione watched him carefully, confusion coursed
through her veins and she found herself growing scared. "Just...
keep your eyes open. Be ready." With that he turned in a billow
of black robes and stormed out of the door. Steadying herself,
Hermione followed him out and made her way quickly to her lesson,
searching her mind for an excuse for her lateness.

That lunchtime, Hermione
shared her unusual morning with Harry and Ron down by the lake,
making the most of the last sun and avoiding prying eyes and ears.

"Something is
building?" Ron spluttered. "Yeah, we kind of noticed that."

"Ron, please. When
have you ever known Snape to appear worried? Even when the Chamber of
Secrets was opened he kept his cool. He's a spy, he's kept his
feelings in check for twenty years. If he's losing it now, it has to
be really bad." Hermione nervously rambled, fiddling with a
loose thread on her robes.

"Hermione? You're
right, his behaviour has been totally weird. But maybe he's up to
something. Maybe he wants you to notice." Harry's voice floated
on the still air between them, it was ghostlike and far away, putting
something out there that none of them cared to contemplate.

"Maybe. That did
occur to me. But then, why on earth would he be trying to make me
suspicious or worried or whatever? It doesn't make sense." None
of them could think of a response, they sat in silence, watching the
ripples on the lake.

The term ticked on
quietly. Ron had taken to hiding in his dormitory much of the time,
with the drapes closed around his bed, Harry reported. It didn't take
much imagination to guess what he might be doing. His crush on
Professor Sullivan was out there for all to see. He always had his
homework done on time and was eager in class to volunteer answers. He
was in a constant state of nervousness, desperate not to make a prat
of himself in front of her, his clumsiness had never been more
pronounced. Not to mention his ears matching his hair colour every
time she so much as looked at him.

Hermione noticed Harry's
attention slipping further from his school work. He spent lessons
staring at his parchment, quill in hand, and his notes were thin for
every subject, his essay marks were a closely guarded secret.
Hermione was sure they had dropped quite a bit.

It was clear to Hermione
that Snape's behaviour was consistently altered. But it was subtle
and she doubted anyone else had noticed. He still favoured the
Slytherins and didn't hesitate to dock points from the other houses.
The first years were just as terrified of him as she and her
classmates had been at that age and no one remarked about a change in
attitude from him. But she was equally sure it wasn't just her
imagination. She could see a certain something in his eyes, he seemed
more tense and watched the students more closely, as if expecting
someone to grow an extra head or something equally deserving of
immediate action on his part.

It was lunchtime on
Thursday, just over half way through the term when Hermione found
herself walking aimlessly across the entrance hall and down into the
dungeons. She hardly noticed where she was going, lost in her
thoughts about Harry and Sirius and the whole horrible mess they were
now in. She found herself outside the door next to the potions
classroom, Snape's private lab. With a sigh she turned to head back
up the way she had come when a loud explosion stopped her in her
tracks.

"Shit!" Came a
frustrated hiss from Snape's lab and Hermione couldn't help giggling.
She had never heard Snape swear before, it didn't suit him. She
reached a tentative hand out to the door nob, her fingers resting on
it lightly, a smile playing about her lips. Nervously, she knocked
three times on the large wooden door and with more nerve than she
knew she had, she opened it without waiting for an answer.

The room was full of
green smoke, she could make out the flame of Bunsen burner and there
were sharp crackling noises and a high pitched hiss coming from the
front of the room. Hermione waved her hand in front of her to clear
the smoke and closed the door behind her.

"Hello? Professor?
Are you alright?" There was a thud from beyond the bubbling
cauldron and a muttered expletive, before the distinctive swish of a
wand, followed by the rapid withdrawal of the sickly smoke into the
tip of Snape's wand.

"Miss Granger? Can I
help you?" Snape straightened his ruffled robes and tucked his
stray hair behind his ears.

"I was just passing
when I heard the explosion. Is everything ok?" He looked taken
aback by her concern and immediately went about moving various
instruments and ingredients about on his work bench, for no apparent
reason.

"Yes, thank you.
Everything is under control." Hermione craned her neck to see
what was laid out in front of him and walked closer to get a better
look.

"What are you
working on?" Snape eyed her cautiously, but made no attempt to
hide his work or send her packing. Hermione's eyes roamed over the
ingredients, it was the most odd combination she had ever seen. She
made her way around the bench to stand next to the surly professor.
She looked up at him and flashed him a grin. "It's something for
the Order, isn't it?" He blanched at her openness and looked
around as if an enemy would pop out of a dark corner any second. He
recovered himself quickly and resumed rearranging his things. "Please
tell me." Hermione's voice sounded vulnerable, at that moment,
her eyes searching his face for a sign that he was human.

"Very well."
Snape said at last, pulling a stack of books along the bench towards
him. He took the top one and opened it, finding the right page
quickly, as if he had turned to it a thousand times. Hermione
recognised the book, Moste Potent Potions, the book she had
found the Polyjuice Potion in. The open page displayed several
disturbing images of a wizard convulsing and something like a ghost
being pulled from the body. The title at the top of the page read
'Power-Stripping Poison - Potentially Lethal ' the text below
detailed how to brew the potion and listed the potential risks and
side effects. Hermione read it several times before looking back up
at her Professor's dark eyes. He was watching her with an unreadable
expression and had his arms tightly crossed over his chest. He sat on
a nearby stool and waited for her to speak.

"But, surely
Voldemort has protected himself against this potion?" She asked,
knowing the answer. Snape nodded and took a deep breath.

"Dumbledore asked me
to look into two possibilities. One, enhancing the potion to work on
him, using my knowledge of which spells and potions he has used to
protect himself. And two..." He stalled and looked down at the
floor.

"What? What is it?"
Hermione asked stepping closer to him.

"Two can wait. It is
an absolute last resort. I will make this work." Hermione
looked back at the book and again at Snape. Her brain worked
furiously trying to work out what the other option could possibly be.
She thought she knew but desperately wanted to be wrong, so kept
searching for another explanation. She remembered something she had
read over a year ago in a book of wizarding philosophy. Most of the
book had been utter nonsense, but something had struck her, it
described the protection that Harry had from the death of his mother.

'Sacrifice is the
greatest magic of them all. It has the power to protect the innocent
and guilty alike, the greater the sacrifice, the more potent the
protection. Therein also lies the key to the destruction of evil;
when the pure of heart sacrifices himself, evil is utterly
destroyed.'

She looked Snape right in
the eye. He returned the intense eye contact and after a long silence
he spoke. "It won't come to that. I can do this."
Hermione's eyes were welling up and she blinked back the tears
furiously.

"I want to help."
There was an unmistakeable tremble in her voice and Snape felt a
flutter in his stomach that he put down to some buried protective
instinct. "Please, I can help you." She looked desperately
at Snape for a hint of weakness as a tear ran down her cheek. "He's
my best friend."

Snape's face softened
slightly, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring
squeeze.

"Alright."

AN: Thank you all for your patience and lovely reviews. I hope this chapter was worth the wait! Chapter 5 shouldn't take so long, I've had lots of RL to deal with, but should be able to give more time to this again now.
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