Serendipity

Severus Snape looked older than his years as he strolled though the Forbidden Forest. His silky black hair had some faint grey showing through, and there were deep lines around his eyes. He had a free lesson before lunchtime, after which he had the dreaded seventh years. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The stress of being a double agent was starting to wear on his mind, let alone his body. Then there was the matter of the girl, not any girl, but Hermione Granger. He had found himself watching her more often, noticing how over the summer, she had gone from being an awkward teenager to a graceful young woman.

During class, he noticed how she behaved. Nobody could doubt that she was bright, she knew the answers to every single question he could think of. She also showed great skill in potions, never making a mistake. But lately she had been quiet and withdrawn, she didn't sit near her friends, and not just in his class. At lunch, if she even made an appearence, she would sit at the very end of the table by herself and push her food around her plate with her fork. Vast, black bags, circled her eyes, which were often watery and bloodshot. She had started to look frail, and Severus knew that several other teachers were concerned. She had taken to dissapearing from the castle for hours at a time, only to act like nothing happend when asked where she was the next day.

He breathed in deeply, whilst mulling things over in his mind. The fresh air filled his lungs, chasing away his worries. As he walked, he watched the animals of the forest. He enjoyed seeing their daily routines, oblivious to the battle of good against evil that was consuming the magical world. As his thoughts started to wonder, something caught his eye. He looked through the trees and saw a flash of silver. He stilled, trying to see what it could have been. He strained his ears, and heard something that sounded like, voices perhaps? After listening for a short while, he decided it was only one voice, but he could not make out what was being said.

He moved cautiously through the undergrowth, his years as a spy allowing him to remain unseen. The trees opened out into a vast clearing, the sunlight filtered through the leaves, causing dappled shadows to appear on the ground. He found the source of the mysterious silver, in the center of the clearing was a large, majestic unicorn. He was grazing peacefully, blowing air through his nose in the form of a gentle snort every now and again.
Suddenly, the unicorns head shot up, he turned to face a small pathway that lead to the clearing, his ears fowards and alert. Giving a loud whinney, he trotted in a large circle, lifting his hooves high, in a proud manner. Slowly, down the path, emerged several slightly smaller unicorns, each with very fine, delicate faces. Thats when he heard it, a high, tinkling laugh, that sounded so happy and free that Severus couldn't help but smile. Something that was very rare, especially as the war continued to rage on.

Severus peered into the trees, hoping to find the owner of the laugh. At last, he saw some movement in the shadows. A woman materialized from the gloom, she had on a large green cloak, with a hood that obscured her face. 'Someone is rather full of themselves today.' She said, amusement clear in her voice. The stallion stopped abruptly, and turned to face her. He eyed her warily, looking down with clear, intelligent eyes.

She reached into her cloak pocket and pulled out what Severus could only assume were treats. She held out a hand to the gossamer unicorn. 'Come here you! I was only teasing, you know that.' She said with a small giggle. He walked over, nuzzling her hand and taking the treat, before licking her fingers thoroughly. This seemed to start a well rehersed ritual, in which each unicorn recieved a treat and a small amount of fuss. Some of the younger creatures were the colour of pure gold, and seemed slightly skittish as they retrieved their rewards. However, some soothing words and comforting from the woman had them calm in no time. Severus was captivated by her, even though he could not see her face, he could see the vast amounts of curly brown hair that tumbled out from under her hood, almost down to her waist. She seemed to have a sort of unearthly power, the way she interacted so easily with one of the most shy creatures known to the wizarding world.

With a swift motion, she pulled back her hood and unclasped her cloak, it fluttered to the floor. Severus gasped in shock as he saw her face revealed. A startlingly familiar face, it was that of Hermione Granger.