Unable to resist the temptation, Snape allowed himself the diversion of watching Hermione as she dozed. Her breathing was soft, barely audible, and the little puffs of air that passed through her lips blew gently at the loose curls that had come out of the knot she had tied her hair into at the back of her head. With her hair hanging down over the other side instead of obscuring her neck, he was able to soak in the pale column of her throat. She was such a pretty thing – far too pretty to have such darkness growing within her. Very few men of her generation would be up to the task of meeting her needs now, which was such a shame. She deserved to be with a young, whole man.