Under The Stars

Let Me Help You

Chapter 20

Whilst Severus went downstairs to make lunch. Hermione changed into something more respectable. She picked some plain black leggings and a baggy t-shirt. Not wanting to irritate her cuts and bruises.

As she made her way down stairs, she lost her footing on the last step and fell head first. Luckily for her Severus was just making his way into the hallway to call her down. He caught her swiftly and helped her back up. She realised her hold of him to walk again, but her legs seemed to buckle under weight.

Severus saw her fall again and knew she was unsteady on her feet. So he picked her up in his arms, without hesitation and laid her down on the couch in the Livingroom. As he placed her down on to the couch, he didn't realise how close his face was to hers. Their foreheads were touching and their lips were inches apart.

Severus knew it wasn't the time for this. He was here to make sure she was safe and protected. Not jump in her pants the first chance he got. He moved swiftly away from her, to retrieve her meal from the kitchen.

"This is all I could find and cook. I hope that's ok? There doesn't seem to be much food in." He said as he gradually knelt down in front of the couch and handed Hermione a bowl of soup.

"It's perfect, thank you. I usually go food shopping at weekends. It's the only time I have free." Hermione explained as Severus moved to sit on the armchair next to her.

"If you obtain the same amount of work at the ministry, as you did in school. Then you work too hard." He said calmly, trying not to watch her too much.

Hermione just smiled at his statement and continued to eat her soup. She couldn't forgive him just yet, but he always found a way to make her smile. There was an awkward silence within the room, as she ate and he fiddled with his thumbs.

"Great book isn't it?" Severus asked, picking up 'Vial of Endings by Author S' that lay idly in front of him.

Hermione nodded in response, as a glimmer of light shone in her eyes. She loved the book so much. "Brilliant, do you know him?"

"My dear, you're looking at him" he smirked from across the living room, placing the book back down.

Due to the events with the death eaters last night, she had completely forgot about her date. But has she quickly pieced things together in her head and everything suddenly became clear. She wasn't made, as he had his reasons. Although she still couldn't help, feeling deceived.

"You're such a bastard!" Hermione grinned, playfully launching a cushion at him.

"Aha why?" He dodged the cushion with ease, lightly chuckling in response.

"All that time throughout our letters and our date! You knew it was me all along! And you never said a word!" she sat there in a pout.

"I'm sorry." He now sat on the edge on the of couch. As she stubbornly avoided his glaze. "Please forgive me?"

Hermione stood up with a struggle and walked away from the man, with her empty bowl in hand. "You are far from forgiveness Severus Snape."

Throughout the day Hermione wanted to go about her day as normal, but Severus protested against it. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight, to go food shopping or clean the house. As she was still unsteady on her own feet. So he ordered her to rest for the day.

Hermione was reading a book lazily on the couch. Whilst Severus cleaned the house using charms and spells with his wand. The last place he cleaned was the Livingroom. Hermione couldn't help but watch him work. In fact, she couldn't keep her eyes of him, when they were in the same room. She had a feeling that if she looked away for a second, that he would disappear and never come back.