Under The Stars

Chapter 1

Hermione slammed her school bag down on the floor and sat behind a desk at the front of the classroom. Ready for her detention. She knew this was a complete waste of her time. The girl had done nothing wrong! Sometimes she acted more like an adult than half of the teachers at Hogwarts. Well at least that's what she thought.

So what she shouted out in lesson and pleaded for Professor Moody to stop demonstrating the cruciatus curse. She was sure that the unforgivable curses where illegal to be taught to school children anyways. Her only worry at that moment was Neville and how the curse affected him.

She could see him getting more and more aggravated, with his eyes clamped shut and hands clenched into fists gradually turning white. Hermione witnessed a horrified look upon his face and screamed out. Before she knew it, a detention slip was in her hand and she couldn't have felt more ashamed of herself at that moment. Hermione had never got detention in her life!

Although for now she was stuck in the deserted classroom waiting for Professor Moody and regretting her outburst. She sat quietly for the next 10 minutes reading a ratty old book from the library until he showed. But there wasn't a soul insight.

With each word she glanced over, the angrier she was getting. What kind of teacher is late for a stupid time wasting deten-

At that moment her thoughts where disturbed, as the door to the classroom slammed shut. Hermione jumped losing grip of her book. The hardback novel fell to the ground with a thud. She reached down to pick it up. At that moment a dark figure floated by her. She tried to raise her vision, but was interrupted by the desk as she whacked her head painfully.

"Shit" Hermione breathed, caressing her head and carefully repositioned herself upright once more.

Her eyes glanced up slowly and connected with icy black orbs staring down at her. Shivers crept upon her spine and the hairs on her arms rose in fear. It was Snape, lurking over her form like a bat.

"You dare to curse in front of me again Miss Granger and you'll have more than just a 2-hour detention." Professor Snape sneered at the girl before him.

Hermione sat quietly, glaring up at him with her eyes narrow and hands gripping the sides of the chair.

"Gather your things. Follow me." Snape was always one for small talk, even in class. You could never get more than a decent conversation out of him.

Hermione did as she was told. They barely walked side by side as Hermione jogged every now and then just to keep up with her professor's large strides. She was confused to where they were going and why Professor Moody wasn't taking the detention.

"Excuse me sir, but where's Profes-" Hermione was cut short, which angered her even more.

"Your Professor finds himself occupied with other things at the present time, I'll be taking your detention" Snape replied entering into his own potions class.

He motioned for her to follow and she did so. Snape walked over to his desk to retrieve a small piece of parchment before re-joining his student once more. Hermione had taken a seat near to the front of the classroom, like she always did in his lessons.

Snape placed the small list of ingredients in front of her, on the desk and started to explain what he wanted her to do.

"Now this is a very advanced potion that I would like you to brew for the hospital wing, it can be very difficult to produce if you don't concentrate." Snape warned.

"But sir, are you sure I'm the right person to brew this? I mean it is very advanced after all and I'm nowhere near up to that stage of learning" Hermione hesitated staring at the parchment in her hands.

"Miss Granger, I certainly wouldn't have gave you this task if I knew you wouldn't do a good job now would i?" Professor Snape told his student, whilst removing certain ingredient's from the shelves around the room.

"I know but-" She turned her gaze to her professor now setting up her work station for her as she continued to complain.

"No buts.. I have every faith in you" Snape confessed placing his left hand gently over hers for a millisecond. He immediately moved away, coming to terms of what he had just done.

Hermione froze as their skin touched. She knew quite well that Snape wasn't one for skin contact. Although that wasn't the thing on her mind just now. Sure his skin was smooth upon his cold touch. But it was the way he told her that she was trusted with such a complicated potion. This gave her a sense of relief inside and a slight warmth to her professor. He had always been so cold and rude to her in the past throughout his lessons. Maybe this was because there was no one around to judge him, only her.

"Get started then! We don't have all night." Snape was now placed behind his desk scribbling away on his 1st years assignments.

Hermione shifted in her seat and got to work. She knew herself that she was completely capable of brewing this potion without any damages or accidents. She was the brightest witch of her age and the top of every class she took. Hermione would like to have proven Snape wrong but he already knew the same thing.

An hour had passed and Hermione happened to find herself every now and then looking up at her professor. Watching him write so elegantly across his parchment with concentration, getting lost in his own world of marking assignment's. His dark hair curtained his complexation, but she could still make out the frowned wrinkles upon his forehead.

Her potion began to bubble excitedly causing her to lose track on her thoughts and attend to it. This also disrupted Snape as he gazed over at her from behind his hair. He couldn't help but double take at the girl before him. It was safe to say that she had grown more beautifier over the past 4 years. Due to taming her brown caramel curls and keeping on top of her tight toned figure.

Severus stopped himself instantly with his foolish thinking. She was his student. It was completely forbidden. Although she did remind him of Lily, they were more or less the same. Friends with the Potters. Being exceedingly smart. Both Muggleborns sorted into the house of Gryffindor.

No more of this he thought, removing himself from the situation and fled the classroom quietly. Hermione was too focused on her potion to acknowledge his absence.

Half an hour later she bottled the potion with complete confidence before cleaning up her work space and ready to depart.

Only to find that she was no longer accompanied by her teacher. She sat patiently at her desk with the bottled potion in hand waiting for his return, but he didn't show. Hermione was getting fed up at waiting for people.

She knew she needed his consent to leave the room. He didn't bother to tell her where he was going, so why should she?

Hermione stormed across the room and gently placed the vile on his desk. As she turned around, her leg knocked the desk. Causing the potion to roll over the edge and fall to the floor. She couldn't believe what she was watching. She just spent an hour and half brewing this potion for it to be destored within seconds.

Hermione bent down to catch the vile but she was too late. The vile landed in someone else's hand. She tried to look up to see who caught it but was met with her Professors face inches away from hers. Snape was bent over her awkwardly. She felt the whole situation very uncomfortable. So she shifted slightly which only caused her to trip over her own feet and head straight for the ground. Instantly her body flipped and came to a halt. She was now facing up to her professor's face once more. Snape had caught her by wrapping his slender arm around her waist as he continued to grip the vile in his other. Their bodies was pressed close together.

Their lips where so close right now, she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. They stayed still for as long as 30 seconds gazing at one another's lips. Until Snape's mouth began to close the distance between them.

"Ermm what are you doing?" Hermione pushed herself out of his personal space and backed away cautiously. Searching his face for an answer. But he showed no emotion or any sign of reply.

"You were about to kiss me!" Hermione told him, he was the one who now shifted uncomfortably.

"No I wasn't!" Snape snapped back. Pocketing the vile in his robes.

"Well why not?" Hermione stood her ground, folding her arms across her chest. Not wanting to sound desperate or weak. All's she could think about was how kissable his lips were when they were close.

"Hermione…" Severus stepped over to Hermione. Lurking over her small form. Trying to intimidate her slightly.

"If I was about to kiss you, you'd know it." His hand rose and tried to cup her cheek but she pushed his arm away. Fleeing the room in a hurry.

Once the door shut Snape ran a hand through his greasy hair and thought over the scene that had just happened. Shaking his head to himself. Knowing he had just crossed the line. Hermione shut the door behind her and leant her back against the nearest wall. Finally releasing a deep sigh of panic and relief.

A single tear fell from her cheek. She wasn't crying because she was scared. She was crying because in that moment she wanted him as much as he did her. She wanted to taste his pure ripe lips and run her hands through his dark locks. But in her heart she knew he was only trying to scare her and would never feel the same way she did.

It was a couple of days later and Snape stopped at the top step of the astronomy tower. His eyes fell upon a certain Gryffindor he was trying to avoid. He saw a stack of books next to the girl sitting down looking upon the view before her as the sun set. She returned back to her assignment writing within seconds. He didn't want to acknowledge her nevertheless bother her. So he turned and tried to go about unnoticed.

"Stay. Please?" Hermione asked unexpectedly without looking up or looking around to see who it actually was.

Snape stood with his back facing her. One-foot hovering over the step to start his descend, whilst he gripped the banister tighter. He cursed himself for being too discreet.

"Only if you want. You won't disturb me… not unlike some people" Hermione closed a book and set it down on the stack, as she revisited one from before. Continuing to write what was on her mind.

"Very Well" Snape rounded the area she was working and leant against the banister to over the look the grounds at Hogwarts.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the library with all this?" Snape gesture to the stack of books. Taking a seat next to her at a suitable distance. "You'd have a bigger selection."

Hermione gave out a slight giggle, increasing the speed with her quill across the parchment. "I am, but a library's supposed to be quite and ours is quite rowdy at the moment."

"Ah right, with our new visitors you mean?" Snape nodded slightly in agreement. Talking about the Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons.

"Krum and his little fan club to be exact. " Hermione huffed, showing that this was a strained subject and could easily wind her up.

"I'd say he seems quite fond of you." Snape said trying to make a decent conversation with his best student. Hoping no awkwardness would come out of it.

"I don't care. I'm not interested." Hermione dropped the quill in her ink. She gently dangled the parchment before her, waiting for the ink to dry.

"Too shy or too scared?" Snape curiously asked. Hoping she would be at least glad that a boy, especially Victor Krum had taken a liking towards her.

Hermione rolled the parchment up and wrapped a small bow around it to firmly enclosed her homework. She gathered her things up within a moment, before handing Snape the essay she had been working on for potions.

"Too busy." Hermione stated looking Severus in the eye for the first time.

She released her end of the parchment and exited the Astronomy Tower without another word.

Leaving Snape alone with his thoughts once more. This girl can be such a pain in his arse sometimes, but there was something about her that he had been growing fond off. She wasn't at all afraid of him, like the rest of the students. She was different.