Lessons In Love

Chapter 21: An Open Wound

Snape had never hugged anyone besides Lily… and even then it was never consensual… he had rocked her in his arms the night she had been murdered. It was so different for him to feel the warmth of the girl he was holding and to feel her holding him back. He looked down at the young witch in his arms and saw her looking almost content. Her arm was still grasping tightly around him while the other free one was fingering the buttons on his coat. Hermione seemed happy to be in his embrace. Snape realized he had never fully comprehended that her attraction to him was anything more than a small fancy or a cruel joke. But there she was, comfortable and blissful in his arms. It was as if Hermione just wanted to never let go… just relax and stay protected, away from the evil creatures that had been terrorizing them… and he could actually say he enjoyed the embrace, however foreign it may have felt to him. After all those years of watching students fall in love with classmates, he was finally living it… finally holding someone close who appeared to want his touch… only his touch.

When he saw Hermione close her eyes and nuzzle deeper into his chest, he seemed to be woken up from his dreaming, "Miss Granger," his voice broke… not having spoken for quite awhile, "We should be heading back. It's dangerous to stay here."

Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him, realizing that she was cuddling with her teacher. She blushed and sat up, reluctantly unwrapping her arm around his back. He probably was not happy with her boldness,

"You're right, sorry," she whispered, "Oh!" she remembered something and pulled out a muddy looking object from her cloak, "I managed to get a horn during the stampede…"

Snape was stunned, "You truly are the most irresponsible and insolent witch of your age, aren't you?" he admonished her while snatching it out of her grasp. She didn't care as she nestled back into his chest, not liking to be away from him in the cold… he was so warm… she felt so comfortable and safe with him. Hermione suddenly felt the bitter cold meet her body when Snape pulled away from her, seeming upset at her. She winced in pain from the sudden movement, she had forgotten about her wounds.

Snape was right by her side once more, "Where are you hurt?" he haphazardly threw the horn in the small bag, trying to attend to her.

Hermione gave a small smile at her concerned professor, "My right ankle… other than that I just have cuts here and there… you saved me before they did anything worse."

He moved down to her feet and set them in his lap, "I need to take your boot off if I am to assess the damage," he looked back up at her, "This may hurt."

Hermione nodded as he unzipped her right boot and lightly tugged when he heard a hiss in pain from the young witch before him, "Sorry," she sighed, frustrated with herself for being such a baby in front of the man that saved her life.

Shaking his head, he appeared sympathetic to her while staring down at her covered ankle, "It's my fault you are hurt. Don't apologize."

She smiled and tugged on his sleeve and shifted closer to him, "Can I hold onto your arm? It helps to lessen the pain for me… you can just quickly pull it off so it will be over with…"

He nodded and motioned for her to come closer, "I need both hands to do this swiftly," he grabbed one of her hands and wrapped it around his waist and Hermione followed him with her other arm, glad to be near his warmth again,

"This will hurt." He breathed out in his almost monotone voice, unaffected by her touch this time… he was too concerned about her ankle.

Snape quickly jerked and pulled the boot off to reveal a swollen ankle while Hermione squeezed his torso, tight enough for him to hardly breathe, but he ignored it as he pulled up her jeans to have more access. He heard a whimper of disapproval and felt a hard squeeze when he touched the swollen limb, "Your ankle is broken." He stated, matter-of-factly.