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Twenty-Four Little Hours	By : andihooper Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 10749 -:- 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
- 5
- 6
Chapter six
9pm-11pm - it's just survival

9pm-10pm
"Rest? I can't rest."
"You can't have had much sleep last night?"
"True. I think it was about three or four in the morning when Voldemort struck."
"Would you please refrain from using that name!"
"I'm sorry, Professor - I keep forgetting." She blushed and looked down at her fingers fiddling with the edges of the cloak. "Actually I find it quite...easy to forget that...you were once...you have the mark."
"That...that is very...generous of you to say so, Miss Granger."
There followed a silence that needed to be filled.
"Harry has been fighting for about nineteen hours..."
FONTFONT FACE="Courier New"> "The Headmaster will have caused diversions and kept Potter from the Dark Lord for as long as possible. The Order will have arrived to help - and whatever my personal opinion of Lupin and Moody, they are both exceptional wizards; as are all the members of the Order."
"Including you!"
T>
He smirked as he inclined his head.
"Including me. And you have never seen Professor McGonagall in a rage.
"Yes I have," she said, "The night Delores Umbridge attacked Hagrid. I think Professor McGonagall could fell a Death Eater with just a look...oh, sorry, ProfessoI'm I'm over-stepping the mark again, aren't I?"
"No," he said, reasonably. "I have been on the receiving end of Minerva's glare on several occasions. I know exactly what you mean."
"I've seen Professor Dumbledore cast magic with just a wave of his hand. Is that something you can do?"
He shook his head.
"I can bring a light to cel cell..." he said, glancing around. "...which may not be a bad idea." He waved his hand, lighting the room with a much needed flickering glow. "But unfortunately, not heat. Just basic spells. I do have an extensive knowledge of certain branches of obscure magic which may serve to postpone any harm directed at us, but one needs very specific powers for anything of major importance. The Headmaster is a very powerful wizard."
"Yes, I know." she sighed. "I just thought...perhaps we could have a plan...you know...if the wrong people tha that door..."
There was another silence.
"What will they do to us...if..."
"Please, don't fill your mind with such things, Miss Granger."
"No...I think I need to be prepared. Do you think they'll kill us together or one at a time?"
"Miss Granger..."
"I suppose the cruciatus curse will finish us...but there's plenty of curses they could use before...
"Miss Granger, I forbid you carry on talking of this..." He warned.
"I expect once it starts you just have to pray for it to be over quickly..."
"If you really want to know," he spat, suddenly. "I am destined for a slow, painful death at the hands of the Dark Lord for betraying whi whilst you will be murdered by the last Death Eater to have taken pleasure of you. Are you happy now you have forced us both to think of it?"

10pm-11pm
He thought she was going to be sick.
She stood up quickly, her face deathly pale.
He shouldn't have said it; he shouldn't have said it.
"Miss Granger, I..."
"No! No! I thought they would just kill me...torture me and kill me...." Her voice was unsteady, getting higher as she spoke. "But not that..." She strode over to the door and began banging on it. "I want out! Let me out! I don't care if I die in the process, but get me out....any death would be better than...Oh, God! There must be some way we could try and escape so they kill us now...."
He got up and began walking towards her.
She fell to her knees and began scrabbling at the little hatch at the bottom of the door.
"Maybe I could crawl through here...I'd lose skin, but...
He bent and caught her arm, forcing her to her feet. She screamed and turned on him, pure panic in her face as she began lashing out at him.
"You only know all this because you were one of them!" she screamed at him. "The darkest evil that walks the earth...you've probably done all the things they do..."
He grabbed her arms and restrained her from hitting him any more.
"Miss Granger..." He raised his voice to her.
"No, let me go..." she cried, hysterically. "You're one of them...don't touch me..."
"Miss Granger..."
She fought against him, but he knew he mustn't let her go. He had to calm her down without resorting to slapping her.
"Miss..." And then he stopped. "Hermione," he said, gentlookiooking directly into her eyes. "Hermione."
Her struggles quickly died, as she looked back at him. Then her face collapsed and she fell against him, sobbing.
He didn't even think about it. His arms went around her immediately and he held her as she cried herself out.
They stood there for a long while as her sobs gradually subsided and he found himself resting his cheek on the top of her head as he stroked her hair, with no other thoughts than to calm her.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, eventually.
"So am I. I should have remained silent."
"I didn't mean what I said..."
"I know...your comment earlier - about forgetting - more than makes up for it, believe me."
"I'm not normally such a baby."
"I have never thought you anything but brave."
A small silence, while she hiccupped a few times against his chest.
"Have you noticed," she said, quietly. "It's warmer cuddled up like this."
"I had, yes."
"Of course, it's basic survival technique - body warmth and all that. People have survived blizzards by cuddling up."
"Come and sit down," he said, before she could launch into a lecture.
He guided her over to the bed and they both sat on it lengthways, with their backs against the headrest.
"What are you doing?" he said, as she undid the cloak and took it off.
"Sharing."
She spread the cloak over the both of them then leaned back and put her arms around him. He did the same to her.
"This isn't going to work..." she said.
"Your arm is going to get cramp..."
"And we haven't got our backs covered - they'll freeze. I guess the only answer is to lie down."
"Erm..?"
She looked up at him.
"It's just survival." She said.
He'd survived this little episode so far; he'd not had one unsuitable thought. All he'd been concerned with was calming her down. He was sure he could cope.
They lay down on the bed and adjusted the cloak over them, then cuddled up again.

"What shall we talk about?"
"Nothing, Miss Granger. You should sleep."
"You called me Hermione a little while ago."
"That was to calm you."
"I know, but...could you call me Hermione just while we're in here? It'll help bring something...personal to this awful place."
"Very well, if it makes you feel better - Hermione."
"And...can we please talk? I have to keep my mind off things..."
His nose was in her hair. It smelt of exotic flowers and spices.
It reminded him of that Potions class, when her hair had got caught in his button. That had been embarrassing. It must have been just a few days after he'd seen her emerging from bat bathroom. He knew what he was doing, but couldn't help himself. As he'd approached her table, instead of stepping to the side and inspecting the cauldron, he couldn't resist peering over her shoulder instead. Totally self-indulgent of course. He just wanted to get as close as he dared. Of course, he hadn't banked on her hair getting caught.
He couldn't untangle it quick enough. The more he'd tried, the nearer she'd got, until she was actuallyningning against him. His normally cool demeanour had deserted him. Sweat had erupted from every pore, as though this incident was more of an intimate nature. He was sure he'd snapped at her, making out it was her fault, when all the time...The smell of her hair had wafted towards him then, too and he'd thought of Aphrodite...
She snuggled closer and gave a little purr of comfort.
"Professor...I'm sorry that you got caught but...I'm very glad you're here with me. I think I would have gone mad by myself."
"And for your part, you have certainly helped keep the spirits light."
He stroked her hair and without thinking, nuzzled her head, puckering his lips to kiss the top of her head. He was a heartbeat from releasing the kiss, when he stopped, shocked at his intended action. He pulled away, hoping she hadn't noticed.
Damn!
He had to get these feelings under control.
He frowned.
Not the lustful urges that had besieged his body earlier; no, he was managing to control them efficiently, but something else...
A desire to protect her, keep her safe and...this wasn't a product of the last few hours. His eyes widened as his suscioscious suddenly revealed itself and he realised this had been brewing for some time.
When?
He searched his memory.
Back two years ago, when the Dark Lord had revealed his existence at the Ministry of Magic. The night Black had died.
She had been injured; hospitalised.
In the privacy of night, he had gone up to the Hospital Wing just to enquire how she was. She was, for all his sniping, his star pupil. She excelled in Potions, as he himself had done. There was a subdued delight in finding a pupil so attentive, interested and eager to learn his subject.
He had never shown concern for a pupil's health before. Madam Pomprey had been visibly shocked when he'd glided into the ward - she had only ever seen him when he, himself had been injured, or when arguing with Albus.
He had been allowed to see her. She was unconscious, of course, and the sight of her lying helpless in the hospital bed, pale and still and...brave - injured by something he had once been, had moved something inside him - something he had been quick to suppress...
...until the night of 'Aphrodite' brought another dimension to it all...
He now knew that if hostile hands opened that cell door when all this was over, he would hold them back from her for as long as possible, fight with his hands if need be, to try and keep her from harm.
"Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't've fallen in love with?"
"Huh?" She looked up at him.
"The song by The cockcocks I was humming earlier, while you were...that's what it was called."
"Oh." She put her head back down.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
He was definitely feeling warmer.
- 5
- 6
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Twenty-Four Little Hours