A/n: Thanx for all the reviews… they really made my day… here's another chapter…
P.S. I only own the plot, nothing else
Hermione Granger and Severus Snape
Hermione gazed lazily at the boys playing Quidditch. She had never really been into the sport itself, just enough to cheer on Harry, Ginny, Ron, and the twins at school games. She watched her friends toss apples around. She was sitting comfortably on the warm earth drinking in yet another schoolbook.
She sighed deeply as another bee tried to greet her. Her eyes squinted against the midday sun when she decided that it was too warm to be outside. She got up brushed off her shorts and turned to enter the Burrow.
"Oi, Hermione, where are you going?" She heard Ron shout.
"It's way too hot to be outside Ron, I need to get some shade." She replied.
She took the makeshift dirt path back to the Burrow. When she reached the back door, the coolness of the shade greeted her fondly. She stepped inside to find Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen tidying up.
"We've been here only a week, and I still can't find enough time to clean." She said, smiling warmly at Hermione. "Do you need anything, dear?"
"No thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I think I'm just going to head up for a quick nap." Hermione replied, grabbing a banana off the scrubbed wooden table.
The burrow seemed completely empty since Fred and George left. It was now only Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry in the house. The quiet in the house tantalized Hermione to really take a nap, but she decided not to. She found herself a really good charm in a book that her parents had given her, and decided to read instead. This is the way she liked it, quiet; so quiet that she could hear herself breathing. It was oddly satisfying.
Severus Snape also liked the quiet. He was sitting in his private library planning the lessons for the new term. The potions Master made a bet with himself every summer. He predicted that each year would be worse than the last, and so far he was always right. On the unlikely occasion that he proved himself wrong, he would do something different from his regular routine on the last day of classes.
He sat at the large oak desk, more than twenty books spread out around him. He was finishing up his seventh years' lesson plan. He looked once again at his roster to find only ten people enrolled in his N.E.W.T. level class. He looked down the list, and his face formed a big frown when he read the name Harry Potter.
He scanned the list once more and his face formed another look of disgust as he came upon the name Hermione Granger. He realized that 1/5 of his class was filled with the two people he disliked the most: Potter and Granger.
Granger got in through her ability to know everything there ever was to know, and Potter got in by the favor of the headmaster. Dumbledore wanted Harry to become familiar with the understanding of different poisons and potions, so he made the Potions Master enroll him in the class much to his dislike.
He soon finished up his lesson plans.
"Those seventh years better be ready for what I'm going to dish out this year." He said to no one in particular. He smirked as he looked them over once again. He was going to raise hell this year, more than usual.
Emerald flames soon erupted in his unlit fireplace. The headmaster's face was looking at him through the fire.
"Severus, the other teachers are waiting for you in the staff room. They're ready to decide on the positions of Head Girl and Boy." Dumbledore said.
"Ok Albus, I'll be there in a moment." Snape replied gruffly. He picked up his wand and closed all the books and made them fly back to their respective places.
"Hermione, wake up, its time for dinner." Ginny said shaking her friend.
Hermione woke up with a start. She hadn't mean to fall asleep, but the quiet and the growing darkness was so inviting, it has been a lot lately.
"What time is it?" She asked stifling a yawn.
"It's nearly 7:30," Ginny replied sitting down next to her on her bed.
Hermione got up and looked into the mirror that was hanging on the back of the door to the room they shared. She reached for her brush and tried to brush the bushiness out of her hair. As always, her hair won the fight against the brush. She sighed and slumped back down onto her bed.
"Hermione is there something wrong?" Ginny asked softly.
Ginny has been her best friend for far too long. She looked out at the window, gazing now at the pink tinge growing deeper as time passed.
"There's nothing wrong." She replied, trying to convince herself more than Ginny.
"Hermione, you're a bad liar." She replied smiling. "I know something's bothering you. You just seem distant."
Hermione didn't know how she could explain it to Ginny. She herself has been trying to understand what was going on, but she couldn't explain her actions. At first she thought it was depression but it seemed as though she was too happy to be depressed, she still couldn't put her finger on it but her emotions were just off.
"There's nothing wrong Ginny, let's go grab some food." Hermione replied warmly.
The dinner was a joyous affair because of the news that Mr. Weasley brought.
"We seem to have stumbled upon a set of plans that You-Know-Who is putting into action right at this moment."
"How did you do that?" Ron asked curiously.
"We raided the house of a convicted Death Eater." Mr. Weasley replied, smiling. This was the first time Mr. Weasley had been home on time in the past couple of months and Mrs. Weasley was beaming with happiness.
Hermione felt like her mind was wandering somewhere else during dinner as much as she tried to pay attention, but her mind was just somewhere else.
Snape looked out of the window at the darkening sky.
"Why is this decision so difficult, we all agreed on Head Boy but why is it taking such a long time to decide on Head Girl?" Flitwick squeaked.
The potions master didn't even bother to pay attention to this actual dispute. It really wouldn't matter to him who the Heads were, as long as they did their job, he was either happy or he just didn't care.
"What is your take on this, Severus?" Minerva McGonagall asked.
"Just count my vote in with the majority." He replied snapping out of his self induced trance. "Can we hurry along? I need sustenance."
With that said, he returned his mind onto his wandering thoughts. Severus Snape's life had been filled with pain, anguish, hatred, and loss. He never had time for anyone but himself, and with the choices he made, it seemed as though his life would end that way. He was content yet saddened with this idea, but he also knew it was inevitable.
When the meeting was over, Snape bid his farewells and made his way once again to his private quarters. He took the long way back, welcoming the echo his footsteps made and the shadows his form made on the walls. In a few weeks time, these halls would be full of students, talking, laughing, and up to no good.
He walked on, his footsteps carrying him to the stone entrance to his quarters. He walked back to the study once more. He thought bitterly of the term ahead and tucked into a good book.
The booklists arrived the next day. Hermione was happy to receive hers because she couldn't wait to get her hands on them. She was a little disappointed that they came so late but nevertheless she was happy.
"We should head over to Diagon Alley today, after lunch." Mrs. Weasley said, beaming. "Ginny and Ron, you will both need new robes."
"So what are we going to do today?" Ron asked stretching.
"Well, we are going to have a girl's day." Ginny replied smiling at Hermione. "Well, at least morning."
"I guess that leaves you and me, Ronnie-kins." Harry chuckled softly.
Hermione was surprised, but then again she wasn't, Ginny was always up to something. Ginny rivaled Fred and George in trickery, but had her mother's charm. Hermione had planned on spending the day reading, as usual, but since Ginny really wanted to spend time with her she couldn't refuse.
They spent the morning talking mostly of Hogwarts and of the opposite sex.
"Malfoy," Ginny said giggling.
"What about him?" Hermione asked indifferently.
"What do you mean 'what about him', he's bloody hot," She replied, flipping her crimson locks over her shoulder. "But also a real git, the nerve of him thinking he's better than us."
"Yea, a real git," Hermione replied. She got up and walked over to the window.
"But he's still bloody hot," Ginny said laughing.
Concern soon crossed over the youngest Weasley's face. She knew that something had been wrong with Hermione since the beginning of the holidays.
"Hermione what's wrong?" She asked softly.
Hermione stood at the window motionless. What was she supposed to tell her red headed friend? The she found the conversation pointless? No, she wasn't that mean. Bigger things had been on her mind. She wanted to voice her thoughts to the youngest Weasley, but she held back. She feared that Ginny wouldn't be much help and that she would go run off and tell her best friends.
"Ginny there's nothing wrong." She turned smiling at Ginny who returned the same smile. "It's just that it's the last year that I am going to be returning to Hogwarts, my second home."
"Is the Head girl title getting under your skin?" Ginny questioned raising an eyebrow. "You've wanted this for a long time Hermione, don't worry you'll be fine."
Hermione returned her statement with a grin. It was true, Hermione had been chosen to be Head Girl, but she wondered momentarily who Head Boy would be. She was surprised when neither Harry nor Ron received the coveted Head Boy badge; she was just hoping that it was going to someone who truly deserved it.
Before they knew it, Mrs. Weasley was happily calling for them to get ready to leave. They traveled by floo powder to the very crowded Diagon Alley. Since the group was the smallest it has ever been,they all traveled in a close knit pack. After Ginny and Ron got their new Robes from Madame Malkins, they made their way to the apothecary. Hermione and Harry had to stock up on the basic potion ingredients, but they also needed weird and rare ingredients for their N.E.W.T. potions class.
They soon made their way to Flourish and Blotts. Hermione felt as though she was home here. She loved the smell of new books and new parchment that seemed to fill the air. She handed her book list over to Mrs. Weasley who offered to get their books.
Hermione wandered around the store as if she was floating on clouds, she absolutely loved it here. Her brain carried her over to the charms section of the book store. She looked at a book with various N.E.W.T. level charms. She then carried herself over to the Transfiguration section of the store, looking at a variety of books. She was unaware that she was being followed; she was too absorbed in looking at titles and reading over interesting facts. She wandered around some more with her possible book buys under her arm.
She then made her way to the defensive magical techniques section of the large book store. It seemed to be deserted and she wondered why. Hermione thought that this part of the book store would be the busiest seeing how Voldemort attacks were becoming more known everyday.
She picked up a book called Defensive Magical Theory and Practice by Larry Petrous. The book was extremely heavy, but proved to be quite interesting. This book not only talked about defensive theory but also showed detailed pictures of various spells. Intrigued, Hermione sat on the floor in the aisle and turned page after page.
She was getting more and more excited as she turned each page. She noted that this book would be perfect for Harry. She was reading about a common freezing charm when her light was seemingly blocked. Hermione raised her eyes to see what had caused this obstruction and to her surprise she found Draco Malfoy towering over her.
A/n: CLIFFIE! I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, and I would also like to than dracos-sexy-bitch who has been my beta for my other storyas well as this one. YOU ROCK! Please R&R, you guys have been gr8!
LeeXanda: Thanx for your review! Thanks for thinking that my opening was good. I really do appreciate at… Here's a rice crispy square… I hope u like this chapter just as well.
Maddudewalking (the best reviewer on the planet!): My beta and I were talking about your review. We both agreed hands down that you are the best reviewer! You're so nice and I knew you would love me for writing this! Your SO AWESOME U ROCK MY SOX ! I believe you're addicted to ff too, but I'm also addicted so I can't talk. But I'm more addicted to writing chappies than reading, I mean I belted out like 3 chapters for the other story within a couple of days and those were all long chappies! Ok, I'm rambling now, but thanx for your review, here's some magical ice cream…. Savor it!... I hope u liked this chappie as well.
I also like to thank Serena Fair Maidenlazyllama101 (love ur penname)gentileschispyhorse We Are The Walrus (love ur penname too) Dark Mermaid, and PERFECT REEPER, for reviewing.
As Always…Cherbi161
