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"Stop running away, you have to face it." She said loudly, running to catch up when the only answer he gave her was to turn his back on her and walk away.
Her footsteps were the only sounds echoing through the silent corridors of the castle at that hour, and when her hands gripped the fabric of his cloak, forcing him to stop. Hermione snapped angrily "You can't live like this for the rest of your life Severus."
When he turned to her, in his gaze there was nothing but contempt and indifference towards her, and as expected, his hands reached up only to pull his cloak from her grasp.
He refused to speak to her.
But she wasn't shaken by it, she knew damn well how thick-headed that man could be at times, and she was more than willing to make him shed that false mask of indifference he loved to carry around as a shield against the world.
When Severus turned around again, without saying a word to her once more. Hermione did the only thing she could to make him react and confront what had been unleashed there all those months.
Everything happened so fast, in a moment she was standing in the middle of that long corridor practically holding her broken heart in her hands, as she watched Severus increase the distance between them with his long and powerful steps.
His cloak casting a dark halo around him as he walked away from her without once looking back.
Then, suddenly, he stops at the end of the hall. Turning toward her as he closed the distance he had created between them in a heartbeat.
His face completely obscured by shadows as he approached her, grabbing her arms and pushing her against the stone castle wall.
He inhaled - as his dark, enraged gaze fell on Hermione.
"Don't ever try to sneak inside my thoughts again," he snarled between gritted teeth, as Hermione returned his stare with equal ferocity. The only difference between their gazes was that hers was filled with pain and hurt, as well as a feeling of anger that hovered in her chest.
For several minutes they just stood there - locked in each other's gaze. So engulfed in the feelings that welled up in their hearts that it was quite possible to burn the whole place if either of them dared to say anything - breaking the thin neutral line that formed in that fragile, volatile silence between them.
Both Hermione and Severus understood, that the next words would bring everything into focus.
Whoever dared to speak would decide what their future would be like from now on.
Would it be a choice of love or war?
The air seemed to crackle around them as the pent-up, intense feelings the two carried engulfed them like a hurricane.
And for a moment, Hermione feared that this was their fate - to be perpetually doomed to confront each other, so blind to the truth, as they faced each other forever - with neither of them willing to give up their pride and deal bravely with the feelings that were so obvious the two of them felt for each other.
She needed him to say something. Anything.
Then, Hermione let out a shaky breath as she searched for something in Severus' eyes that indicated something other than that mask of coldness and anger he wore like it was a second skin.
It took a while, but slowly Hermione felt Severus' grip on her shoulders relax. And in his gaze, the anger and coldness melted into a real feeling of warmth and concern - as his gaze softened and his fingers lifted to gently trace Hermione's face, taking away the anger and pain she felt as well.
Then Severus finally spoke, his gaze showing everything Hermione wanted to know and more, before filling the air with his words.
"It's too dark for you, Miss Granger." He said. The love and fear battled in his gaze as he completed, frowning deeply. "My heart and my mind."
She heard him and understood him. She really do.
She knew it wouldn't be easy to love Severus Snape and tear down the barriers he'd created around himself, but just knowing he wasn't indifferent to her, that there was a feeling just as powerful as what she felt in her own heart, was a good start.
Hermione wrapped her arms slowly over his shoulders, pulling herself up to him.
"I suppose I'll take my chances." She mumbled against his lips, sealing hers with his, as he kissed her softly.