Disclaimer: I don't own the Potterverse. Nor do I own the lyrics to the song 'The Bed'
Author's Note: This work is compliant with the Deathly Hallows until the Epilogue. I have taken liberty with a few words of the song 'The Bed' by Gretchen Wilson to make it conform to the Potterverse more easily. Those words which have been changed will be bolded and the actual words will be shown at the bottom.
But on her side of the bed, those big brown eyes are cryin'
From the things he never says
And deep inside she's dying
As she turns to face the wall, there's no love at all
On her side of the bed
Hermione stumbled into her bedroom, deliriously and hit her hip hard against the bureau. She almost screamed out of pain and shock, but she managed not to do so through sheer force of will. She threw her cloak on the floor even though she constantly reminded Ron that clothing was not to be discarded on the floor. Without thinking she began to disrobe and pull on her nightgown before she slipped into the covers. Ron rolled over and sleepily reached out to grope at her. She shoved his hands away from her intimate areas and pulled the blankets around her tightly. Ron muttered and rolled away, quickly drifting back to sleep. She turned away from him and stared at the wall, without really seeing it. The events of the past couple hours were playing over and over in her head.
Severus Snape seemed to appear slowly, as though a mist was clearing around him. Hermione thought dully that he must have disillusioned himself in order to achieve that effect. He stepped toward her and looked down at her where she was seated on the floor, one leg awkwardly positioned to the side and one tucked underneath her.
"Are you a ghost?" Hermione questioned, knowing that it wasn't so; his body was too corporal to be ghostly.
Snape shook his head, "I am not. I am as alive as you are. Why are you here, apologizing to who you believed was a dead man?"
"How did you survive?" Hermione asked.
Severus rolled his eyes and sighed softly. "Explain yourself and then I will tell you what happened."
Hermione felt disadvantaged sitting on the floor the way she was. She stood shakily and nearly fell again as the room dipped and spun.
"Professor, please forgive me, but I do believe I might faint," Hermione whispered before her world became dark.
She didn't know how long her faint lasted, but when she awoke, she was still held by muscular arms, so she assumed it was only for a few moments. She opened her eyes and Severus Snape's black eyes met hers with no concern, only a mild amusement. He set her down upon one of the creaky chairs and Hermione felt quite sure that the thing would buckle under her weight, but it held. There was silence for a few moments.
"Well, are you going to answer my question? Has time changed your countenance so much that you would refuse to answer any question that has been asked in your general direction?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, what was the question?"
Severus rolled his eyes in exasperation. "It's a pity I can't take points from Gryffindor for your lack of attention. I asked you why you are here begging forgiveness from an old, dead bastard."
"I don't think you're a bastard, sir. I was trying to repent for allowing you to die when I could have saved you."
"Repenting? quite Catholic of you, Mrs. Weasley. Why not just say a few Hail Marys and get on with your life." Severus turned from her and the moonlight shone on his profile causing him to look as though his face was carved in marble. It looked like some great, yet terrible, statue depicting some Roman villain.
"How do you know about Catholicism?" Hermione intoned, curiosity overcoming her sudden fear.
"My father was a muggle. His family was filled with Catholics, and he was one himself, which would explain his…distaste for my mother and me, not that it matters much."
"Oh, I supposed I could have surmised that, given the context clues." Hermione stood and took a few steps toward him. "Sir, how did you survive?"
Severus scoffed, "I was a Potion's Master at Hogwarts for many years. I was a spy for the Order of the Phoenix for even more years. You cannot honestly think that I had not prepared for every possible circumstance. I carried with me at all times a vial of anti-venom specially brewed to counter-act Nagini's poison and more blood replenishing potions than you would find at your average potion's store. I am not a foolish man, and would appreciate it if people did not assume that I am. But," and at this he spun and grabbed her elbows, his hair shrouding much of his face as he leant down to look at her, "you never truly answered my question. Anyone could have saved me if they'd taken the time to search my pockets. Why did you feel such an acute pain at my assumed demise? Does, perhaps, the golden girl of Gryffindor have a little crush?"
"What? No, of course not," Hermione saw Severus' jaw tighten at this adamant denial, "I was happy you were dead! Then, I found out the truth. That you were on our side the whole time and I was ashamed of what I had felt and thought."
"Are you sure that's all?" Severus asked. His voice had become more silky and dangerous. "I can tell you that there are hundreds who still think it is a good thing that I am "dead". Why would you care so much about what you thought for a moment in the midst of a battle? Why bring yourself back here after ten years? Why have so much pent up agony? And why, Mrs. Weasley, why avoid coming to the Shrieking Shack for ten years if all you feel is remorse? Why avoid the place where I had fallen if that's all you felt?"
For once, Hermione had no answer. "I, I don't know, Professor—"
Severus' hands tightened around her arms and she noted with detached logic that she would probably have bruises there tomorrow.
"I am not your professor anymore, Mrs. Weasley, stop addressing me as such," he growled at her. "Don't feel pity for me. I despise pity, especially when it comes from a frightened child masquerading as a woman. You can't admit to yourself why it is you find yourself here after all these years. I pity you." With those final words, Severus disapparated and Hermione fell roughly to the floor without Severus holding her arms.
Hermione covered her face with her arms and sobbed. She allowed herself a few more minutes to get a hold of her tumultuous emotions before getting ready to go back to her home. She checked her watch and groaned. It was two a.m. and she had to be at work in six hours. She would floo in sick, and allow herself the rest of today and the weekend to recuperate before going into work.
What had Severus meant? Hermione hated to admit it, but the things he'd said to her in the past two hours were more profound and interesting than anything Ron had said to her in their seven year marriage. Their conversations never went deeper than what they'd done at work or in their spare time that day. Ron would eventually turn the conversation to sex, which would bore her ridiculously since he wasn't a particularly interesting lover, nor did he seem to mind that fact.
Severus would be. The thought rose to the forefront of her mind of its own volition and Hermione quickly squashed it down. No matter how passionately he had spoken tonight, she wouldn't allow herself to get carried away.
_HGSS_
Severus was drinking fire whiskey like it was water, and he was a man who had been trapped in a dessert for a fortnight. The encounter with Hermione Granger-Weasley was incredibly foolish on his behalf. He had revealed himself to her and then had manhandled her. For a moment, he thought about kissing her, about forcing his mouth upon hers and taking what he knew she wouldn't deny him. But, that would have been even more foolish. He did not need to allow this ten year obsession of his to rule his life. He was a rational man, damn it, but she had looked so desirable in the moonlight, with her hair wild and…well he was a man and she had grown into a pretty woman and they had been alone and arguing, which had sparked his passion. He knew that there was more to how she felt than what she said. She was an idiot for marrying Weasley. The boy couldn't find his arse with both hands, whereas she was an intelligent woman. He'd read all of the articles in the Prophet aboutH her. He had them filed chronologically and she'd long since eclipsed even Potter in the amount of articles printed about her.
Well, the articles never mentioned her by name, as she was an Unspeakable, but he could surmise that just about every new advancement that suddenly was made known by the ministry had her mark upon them. An inside source had leaked that she'd been recruited into the new sub-division of the time division of the Department of Mysteries shortly after her graduation from Trois-Echelles University in France. The department dealt with ancient curses and spells and from it more advance and altered spells and potions emerged in the last few years than the ministry produced in over a century. It had Hermione know-it-all Granger written all over it.
She was the most powerful witch he'd ever taught. That was the only reason she'd intrigued him so.
_HGSS_
Ron had bought her excuse of illness readily as he rushed out of their house without so much as wishing her well. Hermione wasn't at all surprised; he wasn't good with sympathy for anyone other than himself. Hermione was fairly sure that he felt the schism that had formed between them almost as soon as the honeymoon was over. He didn't acknowledge it and neither did she. There was no reason to do so. They were comfortable enough.
Hermione wanted to see Severus again, but she knew she wouldn't have a chance to. There were so many more questions she needed answered. She thought about going back to the Shrieking Shack, but it was unlikely he'd be there. If he wanted to see her again, he would find her, but it was unlikely that he ever wanted to see her again.
_HGSS_
He had to see her again. Just to tell her that she was not to tell anyone of course. He didn't want to see her to feed his obsession. That was impossible. Besides, he had gone ten years studying her from afar, anyway. Just because he spoke to her once didn't mean he needed to again. He didn't need to touch her to make her real. He would just watch her go about her life, like he had been for the past decade.
A/N: Okay, what I forgot to mention in the last chapter, May 2008 in Scotland was (according to a weather site) quite cold in the early days of the month, and it is plausible that at midnight on the second there was a soft drizzle. I live in America, so I wouldn't know for sure.
And now for this chapter, I don't know if the Snape family was Catholic, so that's purely made up, but the name Tobias is the Greek version of the name Tobiah which means "God is good" so I just put the two together. It would also explain why Tobias is disgusted with his wife and son (since witches are considered evil by the Bible and therefore the Catholic religion) and why Tobias chose to stay with the wife he despised instead of divorcing her.
Hermione's University: Trois-Echelles University. The name is ironic considering Trois-Echelles is one of the reasons for a huge rise in the witch hunts in France. When he (Trois-Echelles) was tried as a witch he announced publically that there were over 100,000 more witches roaming the countryside, which caused the witch hunts to increase and more people were sentenced to death.
The Department of Mysteries is supposed to be divided into at least five sections: death, time, space, thought, and love. I have invented the subsection Hermione is in because it will play a larger role later in the story, and because it was fun.
For those who read the lengthy A/N, thanks.
-American Punk-
