Lessons In Love

Chapter 30: Alchemy and an Understanding

Snape slammed the door to his quarters and walked into his room trying to change from his dress robes from the previous night into his more familiar attire. He sat on his bed and covered his face with his hands. There was not a clue in his mind with where to begin with Hermione. What should he choose to teach her and how would he do it in such a short amount of time given? He hissed as he realized how many hours they had wasted with arguing, going to the party, and fooling around in the Room of Requirement when they could have been pouring over books and he could have been lecturing her. Preparing her.

He sighed as he stood back up and figured that moping around would not solve anything. After freshening up with a shower and new pair of clothes, he entered his small living space that he used as his own personal study. Books lined the shelves and he fingered the bindings, searching for the ones required for the lessons he needed to prepare. Hearing a knock at the door broke his concentration and he growled in frustration as he advanced towards the person who was interrupting his precious time. He surely hoped it was not Poppy Pomfrey asking for more draughts. He did not have the time for such frivolous toils.

"Yes?" he mumbled very annoyingly when he opened the door and found himself glancing down at a familiar face wrapped up in a warm blanket.

"Oh um…" It was Hermione. He stared down at her, impatiently waiting for her to spill out what she was going to say, "I couldn't really sleep and I heard you slam your door," she gave him a smile, "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

He groaned to himself; Hermione was still caught up in the fantasy of the night before and had not woken up to reality. Snape had hardly the time to mess with the young witch—he had to get her lessons together before it was too late, "I appreciate your concern but I must excuse myself, I am rather busy and cannot be bothered with such trivial anxieties. Please forgive me,"

"What's wrong?" she asked, very confused at his coldness.

He rolled his eyes, "My schedule seems quite eventful at the present moment and I must ask you to leave me in peace."

Hermione furrowed her brows, hurt, "Erm… alright. Good day, Professor." She murmured.

She turned around and filed back to her own room and gave him a sad expression before closing her door and leaving him alone. He moaned when he shut his own door and leaned against it. McGonagall's words were running through his head and would not slow down,

"You are a grown man, Severus, and she is just a girl."

Minerva was right, she was just a young girl; an apprentice. Hermione was only eighteen years old and she was in love with a teacher twice her age! Snape put his hand on his heart, remembering her own hands that had rested there earlier; it seemed that their night had never even happened. It couldn't have been real. It was too good to be true. Hermione was still so young and immature. She was always trying to convince him she was an adult and while that was partly true because of her age, her mentality and thinking was quite behind her. He could not be fooled. She was still rash and impulsive, never thinking to the next step in her own continuation of what the consequences would be to her dealings. He blamed her hectic and unrealistic life on the adventures for survival with Potter and Weasley. Her school years had consisted of trying to stay alive and protect her friends and trying to spy on others to find the truth to the war. None of what she lived through panned out to a normal existence. She was quite an intelligent witch, one of the smartest he knew, but her common sense in the real world towards others' feelings and emotions were non-existent.

"If the Ministry finds out that this was all a charade to get you out of the trial, they could very well send you to Azkaban for avoiding the law."