Title: Dissonance
Day/Theme: March 27. sometimes when the wrappings fall, there's nothing underneath at all
Series: Harry Potter
Character/Pairing: Severus Snape, Hermione Granger
Rating: PG
Summary: He thought that he would be able to use her as a pawn despite her blood. He did not like to be proven wrong.
Timeline: HP book one, before the troll incident, meaning that the Golden Trio hasn't been formed yet.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me.
Warnings: Mild HBP spoilers, some swearing, implied (future) SS/HG (but only if you really, really squint)
Author's note: Something for the 31days community on LJ and for my beloved Misa-chan. Hope this lived up to your expectations, love.
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He watched her from the shadows of one of the lesser visited corners of the library. It was pure chance that he came across her at all. He had simply entered the library to find a tome on obscure potions that he hoped would hold some insight on some trouble he'd been having with one of his experiments.
Instead, he found her, bent over piles upon piles of books. She scribbled furiously on a long sheaf of parchment despite the fact that the school year had only just begun and there was no way that any of the professors, besides him of course, would pile such immense workload upon the first years. For a moment, in the flickering torchlight, an uncharacteristic wave of nostalgia washed over him, and he imagined that the girl was replaced by a boy, just a bit older than the little first year he was observing.
The bushy brown hair turned into black strands, made oily by hours spent bent over steaming cauldrons of potions. Instead of buck teeth, there was a hooked nose and sallow, unhealthy looking skin. The brand new uniform suddenly became slightly ragged at the edges. The books surrounding the child transformed from manuscripts on all the general subjects that first years took to those focusing largely Potions and the Dark Arts.
Despite the physical differences, there were indeed similarities. Determination burned in both the girl's eyes and the boy's, a need to prove their worth to others who looked down on them for their blood and their heritage, things they never had any control over. Both yearned for the acceptance of their peers, though they went about it through the only way they knew – through knowledge and the accumulation of it.
Both lacked friends. The boy's Slytherin peers stayed away mainly because of his apparent lack of material wealth; those outside his house avoided him because he was a Slytherin and because of the fact that he was the favorite target of two of the most popular boys in school. The girl's fellow Gryffindors were simply put off by her knowledge and bossy, slightly overbearing attitude.
Perhaps, he mused as the image of the boy faded away and he continued to gaze upon the girl-child, his potions tome forgotten for the moment. Perhaps that was why she had not been placed in Ravenclaw, for all her thirst for knowledge. None of the Ravenclaws he'd ever encountered, after all, had ever been so foolhardy as to annoy a teacher on their first day. Ravenclaws were observers, researchers. They preferred to keep silent as they hoarded away as much information as they could. This girl, on the other hand, insisted on flaunting what she knew, on making sure that others knew she was the best. It must be, he thought with a sneer, the child's Gryffindor side pushing through.
Still, the child had potential, no doubt about it, he told himself, dark eyes glinting calculatingly in the torch light. She was easily the most brilliant witch her age, even among the Ravenclaws, though he would never admit it out loud. And she was young, still impressionable enough to mold into something he could use. That, and the fact that she seemed desperate for attention, for approval, would make her easy to manipulate. He could use one with her talents in the future, Gryffindor or not. He was willing to overlook that flaw, not to mention that her blood was even less pure than his, for his own gain. After all, he was a Slytherin. Not to mention that it was rare that he found one that he thought could perhaps match up to him one day, not as his equal of course, but close enough.
Yes, he told himself as he watched the small figure hunched over her books. All he needed was the perfect opportunity, and he would be able to move in and secure her loyalty, covertly, of course. There was no need to bring what he was plotting to the headmaster's attention, after all. The Slytherins wouldn't be too happy with him dealing with a mudblood if they found out (always a possibility – some of the brats were just too observant for their own good), but he could deal with them easily enough. As long as the Gryffindors kept isolating her (and really, he shouldn't worry about that – the idiots would never see her true potential), then it would be easy gain her trust – all he needed to do was acknowledge her. It didn't matter how he had treated her beforehand; that would be easily rectified with a few convincing words. He pushed away the insignificant thought that it had been just as easy for another to do same to the boy he'd been reminiscing about just moments ago.
Soon, he promised as he swept out of the library a few minutes later, potions tome in hand. Soon, he'd make his move, and she would be his pawn.
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His scowl was darker than usual as he glowered at the students from his seat at the High Table. The other professors, except for the headmaster, gave him wide berth, thinking that his foul mood was simply a result of one too many potions accidents that day. But no, it was worse than that.
He'd been too late. The Potter brat and the youngest Weasley had befriended the girl. Now, there was no way to gain her loyalty. He shot a venomous look at a nervous Quirell, who seemed to sense that he had done something that had caused Severus' mood, no matter how indirectly. He was right, too. If it had been for that damned, bumbling fool then the girl wouldn't have had to be saved by those two blasted brats, thus ruining everything.
And she had had such potential to be a great asset, too. It was a shame.
He scoffed then, a sneer replacing his scowl. It didn't matter. He truthfully had no use for a brat who was so easily swayed by something as foolish and sentimental as camaraderie, no matter what he had thought before. Once more, he squashed the memory of that young boy whose image had overlapped however briefly over the girl's during that silent moment in the library, who had been lured by another man with promises similar to what he'd been about to tempt the girl with.
He straightened in his seat and stood, ignoring the headmaster's inquiring gaze. He couldn't stand to be in the presence of all of the idiotic little students at the moment; he could end up doing something he'd surely be scolded for if he did. He swept out of the Great Hall, not bothering to shut the doors behind him as he made his way down to the dungeons.
Perhaps it all turned out for the best, really, he consoled himself. He'd simply been mistaken about her. Potter and Weasley could keep her. She was too naïve, too Gryffindor to be of any use for him. After all, he had no patience for fools who were willing to stoop so low for something as foolish as acceptance.
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Author's note:
Um. Hooray for fics with no conversation?
Er. Well, in my defense, I have to say that I've never written anything remotely SS/HG before so forgive me if Sev is out of character. -- Actually, I don't write much in the way of the HP fandom, to be really honest.
This was actually something Misa-chan asked me to write for her (why she did, I'll never know – as far as I can tell, she loathes Sev now because of HBP) a while back. Only got to writing it now because of one of the themes from the 31days LJ community inspired me to write.
That said, any feedback would be much appreciated. I'm also taking requests for fics. Gods know I need the practice. So just drop me a line, people. All you have to do is press that little button at the bottom of the page.
You know you want to . . .
edit Did some minor editting. Nothing major, just some grammar and adding of lacking letters. You know, stuff brought about by carelessness and not reading through the fic thoroughly before posting. -.- My bad. Sorry all. Nothing's really changed with the plot or story though. Anyway, review, please?