He expected her to follow him to finish cleaning. She did, but there was obviously something on her mind. It wasn't his intention to spy on her thoughts, but he found himself digging into her mind to read her thoughts.

Lucius could be a suspect. I don't know if Severus considers him one, but I do. There was Yaxley, of course, but I'll have to find out who he knew back then.

He couldn't believe it. She was trying to figure this out herself, without even finding out who he knew back then. She was wanting to help him. No one ever wanted to help him. He never allowed it. Perhaps she could help him. It would be a big job. But he was sure she could handle it. He definitely needed the help. This would get personal, and he needed someone to keep him sane. Daniel Varn was an old friend of his as kids. Even before Lily came into his life. Their parents had been together as as youngsters as well. He would get real emotional thinking of the past, especially the death of his friend.

They finished the storeroom three hours later. It was passed curfew, in fact, it was so late that Severus thought about just letting her sleep in his room. He wouldn't sleep tonight anyway. There were too many memories flowing out. After all, if he sent her back to her room, either the fat lady would be gone and she would have to spend all night out there or the moment she got into her bed, she'd have to get up for her classes. He was purely thinking about her well-being. Also, she didn't look like she could make it all the way to her dorm anyway.

Clearing his throat, testing it out, he said, "Why don't you go lay down in my room. I'll take the rubbish out and clean up our mess."

Hermione stared at him. He was offering her his bed. That was shocking. She didn't know what to think about that. Did he like her? Or just being a good man like she had been trying to tell him all this time? Her mouth ended up hanging open for the longest time.

"Uh, what will everyone think if they found us in bed together?" She asked in a frightened voice.

His heart jumped out of his skin. Sleep together. NO WAY. Although, now that the thought was in his head, he wanted to do it. But they already had "slept together" in the real sense of the word. So, should it matter? Of course it should. She was a student, he was a teacher, his floo network was open with many old friends that came to call on him for visits, and the staff at Hogwarts came in unexpectedly all the time. No, it was defiantly wrong. But he couldn't get it out of his head.

"Uh, I was going to give you my bed, really," he confessed to her. He avoided her eyes. He knew they would be wide in shock. The evil git had willingly given her his bed.

"What about you?" she asked in a concerned voice.

He shrugged. He didn't want to tell her that he wasn't planning to sleep tonight, or wouldn't be able to. She started shaking her head furiously. "No, I refuse to kick you out of your own bed. No, we are both adults, if you want me to stay, since, by now, the Fat Lady will most definitely be gone to her friend Valerie's for drinks, and I don't want to spend the night out in the corridor, we will share the bed and be civil about it. If you really want me to stay. If not, I will try the Fat Lady."

"No, by the time you get there it will be morning. Go one, I will be there later," he told her. He was really trying to get her to take the whole bed. He didn't think it would be right or comfortable for her to share the bed willingly. It was one thing when he was sick, but this was something else.

**

Hermione was laying in Severus' bed. Willingly. He had willingly let her stay in his room. What did that make them? Did she want it to be something more? Why did life insist on being complicated? He was her teacher. Maybe not legally, but he certainly saw it that way. Or at least she thought he did. She was alone for only ten minutes before Severus came in the room, trying to be quiet for her. He had hoped she would be asleep so he could think in his chair, but she was awake still.

"Get some sleep," He said to her, taking off his robes. He didn't mind her watching, she already saw most of him anyway.

"Not if you won't sleep," she refused.

"Don't worry about me, you need sleep." he countered.

"So do you, Severus," she told him stubbornly.

Sighing heavily, he glanced at her. She was in his bed, her shoulders bare. Most likely in her undergarments like she was the other night. She wouldn't take no for any answer. He was going to have to get into bed at least. He slipped off his robes and stood there in an undershirt and boxers. He slept much like her, in underclothes.

To say that he didn't enjoy the feeling of someone next to him would be lying. He really enjoyed it. In fact too much. Her breathing steadied as soon as he brought the covers up to his chest. He looked at her sleeping on her side, facing him. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her, but he didn't. He thought about his past. What he did. How could he do that to someone he cared about? Soon, to his surprise, he found sleep too, facing Hermione.

The next morning came with a loud scream. Severus, who always sleeps in his boxers, woke with a startled gasp, the covers falling off his bare chest. Hermione sat up too, her bare shoulder the only thing that was showing off. Christ! How this looks! Minerva was standing with her hand over her heart, breathing heavy.

"Minerva, it isn't like that," Severus said getting up immediately. He didn't need Occlemncy to find out what she was thinking. "She was serving a detention helping me clean the storeroom last night. Then I got a call from a friend and got some stressing news. After that we had to get the rest of the storeroom finished and it took longer than I thought. It was too late for her to make her way up to her dormitory and sleep and be ready for her classes today so I offered my bed to her. I didn't mean to fall asleep. She wouldn't even shut up without me in the bed too, saying that if I didn't get in bed, than she'd stay up too. Nothing happened. I'll willingly take some veritusurm if you wish."

The woman stood there, unsure of what to think or do. Of course it was against the rules, but Miss Granger wasn't a student anymore. Legally it wasn't against the rules. Instead of saying anything, she just left. Severus got up and followed her, forgetting he was in his underwear. "Wait!"

She pressed on, into the classroom, and out the door. Severus followed, running behind her as she headed for the Headmaster's office. Thankfully, not many students were up, so they didn't see more of the Potions Master than they wanted. However, Severus was getting angry. The woman wouldn't listen to him. If only he had thought to grab his wand and make her listen to him.

"Minera McGonnagll, you listen to me right now!" Severus shouted. She still didn't listen. He had to give her credit, when she set her mind on something, she stuck to it.

"Albus! Albus!" Minerva cried as if Severus had just murdered Miss Granger. He wasn't a murderer. Anymore.

The headmaster was at his desk writing. When Minerva burst in anger on her face, there was a split second that he was frightened at who had made her this mad. Then it disappeared when he caught sight of Severus in his undergarments. "Why Severus, this is a change of style," he said lightly.

"This is no laughing matter, Albus," Minerva said harshly. "I just found Miss Hermione Granger in bed with Severus in his chambers. Just like this!"

The headmaster waited for Severus to say something. "Albus, we were cleaning my stores, when I got a visit from a friend. Something came up and we had to talk about something. After that, we had to finish the storeroom because if not, things would be unevenly dated. That is a dangerous thing in Potions. It was past midnight before the storeroom was finished and the Fat Lady would have been most defiantly been gone from her portrait at that time. Miss Granger was almost dead on her feet, so out of curtesy I offered my bed to her. I wasn't going to sleep, but she wouldn't sleep unless I got into the bed too. I soon fell asleep too. I will willingly take veritetusurm to prove it."

"Minerva, leave us, I will take care of it," Albus said, dismissing her.

She walked out looking even more angry than before. Severus knew that he was in for it now. He wished he hadn't followed Minerva here.

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