Hi guys, here is the second chapter! Hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for the follows, favourites and reviews so far. Please let me know what you think! (:
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One day, after a particularly in-depth discussion on the Wolfsbane potion, Snape found himself once again marveling at Hermione's knowledge of the subject. Hermione, too, enjoyed the discussion immensely. Leaving the Hospital Wing in high spirits, she proposed having a drink with Harry at Hog's Head. Laughing and joking, the memories of the war pushed to the back of their minds, they strolled leisurely under the midsummer night sky through Hogsmeade. Harry pushed open the door into Hog's Head, still laughing, and then suddenly, he froze, his smile sliding of his face, replaced by cold fury.
"Harry? What's wrong?" Hermione asked, concerned at his sudden anger. He didn't answer as he strode purposefully into the pub. Hermione's eyes followed his direction of movement, and what she saw made her heart clench painfully as she stood rooted to the spot, tears threatening to spill. In the dark corner of the pub was Ron with his arms around none other than Lavender Brown, his lips glued to hers, apparently oblivious to the world around them.
Harry strode over and wrenched the two apart as Hermione joined them. Lavender squealed when she saw who had arrived and cowered in her chair. Harry was livid as he punched Ron in the face. Ron staggered but righted himself, as he demanded angrily, "What was that for?"
Turning, his eyes widened when he saw Hermione, and his cheeks flushed. "What was that for? How could you do that to Hermione? How could you cheat on her?"
Ron flushed even darker. He snapped, "Why do you care anyway? I doubt Hermione herself cares. It has been almost a month and she hasn't looked for me. Fred died, and none of you bothered to come and comfort me. Lav was the only one who came to comfort me, have a drink with me while you two went to sit with that greasy git who really should have died and done the world a favour."
Swallowing her hurt, unwilling to let Ron see her tears, Hermione said coldly, "Don't you dare say a word against Professor Snape, Ronald."
"What? You used to hate him, and now you're defending him? Come on, 'Mione, I can forgive you for not caring about me, but you don't have to tell me how much you love Snape," Ron said, convinced that Hermione was only defending Snape to make him jealous.
"Professor Snape is my professor, Ronald, but if you really like to think that way, then fine. He is a hundred times more of a man than you are. And you're right. I really couldn't care less who you snog. We're over, Ronald."
Ron's ears went a dangerous shade of red as he growled, "You go too far, Hermione. I gave you the chance to apologise. I'm part of this relationship too, you have no right to end it just like that." He moved forward menacingly, wand raised, mouth opened in an ugly snarl.
"Protego!" An invisible shield burst forth from Harry's wand, separating Hermione and Ron, the force of it knocking Ron to the ground. Without another word, he put an arm around Hermione and Apparated into Hogwarts since the wards have not been put back up after the war.
Harry could feel Hermione's sobs wracking through her body as she repeated over and over to him, "I loved him. I loved him. I loved him." When the evening grew cold and she finally looked up, Harry's heart broke. Her eyes, puffy and red from the crying, were empty and listless, as though all the emotion and life in them had escaped with her tears.
Three months after the war, Hogwarts was fully repaired and returned to its former glory. It was announced in the Daily Prophet that school would start as usual on September the first. Professor Snape had fully recovered, and had one again taken up the position of Potions Master and intimidating but fairer than before Dungeon Bat. All of the old professors remained to teach under Professor McGonagall's leadership.
The students in Harry's year were allowed to attend another year of school to make up for the year lost in the war, and to take their NEWT exams. It was not compulsory, but most of them returned, determined to graduate from Hogwarts as survivors of the war. Harry returned, as he had to take NEWTs in order to become an Auror. Ron also returned so that he could stay close to Lavender. Hermione, unwilling as she was to be in the place where so many people had died and to be near Ron, had no idea what to do with her life now that she no longer had to protect the saviour of the world and she didn't even have Ron anymore. Heartbroken, she chose the only logical thing: work, work and more work. While the average student might do at most five NEWTs, she took all the subjects she took for OWLs in hopes that she could return some normalcy into her life with something so inherent in her. All the eighth-years had single rooms due to their age, and Hermione utilised this fully, shutting herself in her room all week and studying non-stop.
As time passed, however, Hermione's heartbreak did not grow any less, and the memories of the war came back to haunt her in her dreams. All the work she was doing also started to weigh on her. Her eyes, ever empty and listless, had dark circles under them, and on the rare occasion in which they showed signs of life, they looked haunted. She smiled and laughed like she used to, but her laughter never reached her eyes. Her work was still flawless, but she no longer volunteered to answer questions. Harry noticed, of course, but Hermione wouldn't even talk to him like she used to anymore. She did her best to avoid company and attention. For three months this went on, and there was nothing anyone could do.
Snape, on the other hand, was enjoying life immensely. He no longer had to constantly watch his back, and staff and students alike treated him like a war hero. This newfound respect put him in a constant good mood, and while he still swept around like an overgrown bat and found pleasure in intimidating people, he was fairer and happier than he had ever been. That was, until he noticed how badly Hermione was dealing. She had stopped visiting him, and Harry saw no reason to spend time with him alone if only to sit in awkward silence. While he missed their company, he missed even more the conversations he had with Hermione, and how she never failed to leave him in a good mood. He was a proud man, and he would never ask her to visit him, but Hermione's state worried him more than he cared to admit.
