Authors Note: Right then, finally managed to find my USB pen clip thing, and guess what? I found three compleated chapters of this story that I hadn't put up. Oh lucky day for all you readers :) Hope you like this chapter
So here he was again, and he was far from pleased about it. Severus had been in a foul mood all day, and the impending visit to the Headmaster's Office once more had done nothing to help. It had, in fact, made his mood even worse than before. Miss Brown had always been a foolish girl but he had never thought he would have been able to make her cry in front of him. Clearly he had been wrong, and as for Longbottom… Severus was tempted to demand that he pay damages to the school for nearly destroying the Potions Classroom. The boy was a total incompetent, a bumbling blithering idiot. The worst of it was that he was brilliant at Herbology, and that was the only discipline that was closely aligned with his own. By all rights, the boy should be a skilled potioneer. Severus was not sure if it was that the boy was useless or the fact that he should be talented but wasn't that irked him so much.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his lank hair, as devoid of life as his soul felt, before pushing open the door to the Headmaster's Office. Albus looked up, dropping a scroll that he had obviously been reading with a mild amount of interest on the table.
"Ah Severus my dear boy. I was wondering when you were going to arrive. Sit down." Albus said, a small smile on his aged face as he gestured towards one of the seats in front of his desk. It was the usual routine. Severus crossed the room and reluctantly sat down.
"Don't even think of offering me a sherbet lemon you old coot." Severus said just as Albus' hand twitched towards the small bowl of sherbet lemons that was an ever-constant annoying presence on the desk. Albus chuckled a little and took hold of one of the sweets, removing it from its wrapper and popping it into his mouth.
"I swear that your portrait is going to have a bowl of those detestable creations within it." Severus remarked, finding that rather than irritating him further, this particular meeting with the Headmaster was turning out to have rather the opposite effect.
"Naturally Severus. Albus Percivel Wulfric Brian Dumbledore without the sherbet lemons? That is like you without that charming scowl of yours." Albus remarked, his eyes twinkling as they always did when he was in high spirits. Severus felt the corners of his lips twitching a little and quickly thought of something that annoyed him to no end, Harry Potter, so as to stop the smile in it's tracks. He ended up scowling heavily at Albus who nodded his head in agreement as though his point had been proven.
"What do you want me here for Albus?" Severus asked, deciding to get straight to the point of it all. Despite himself, he did find these sparring conversations with the Headmaster rather refreshing, just not when he knew serious matters needed to be discussed. Albus sighed and shook his head, almost as though he were admonishing Severus in a way for ruining the moment.
"Have you noticed any change in Miss Granger?" Albus asked. Severus internally sighed in despair and felt his mind trying to run away and failing dismally. The matter of Miss Granger had been resting heavily on his thoughts all day. He should have realised that there would never be any escape for him. He was trapped till the breath left his body, and perhaps even beyond then.
"She seems to be acting the same as always, perhaps a little less eager to answer questions in my class." Severus said, knowing perfectly well why the latter had occurred. Albus looked down through his half moon spectacles at Severus.
"Were you verbally decapitating your students again Severus?" He asked. Severus resisted the urge to snicker at the older man's fantastic choice of words. If only he could with some of the fools.
"If they weren't such a bunch of dunderheads I would not need to chastise them past the point of tears." Severus replied, employing his favourite term to describe the students of Hogwarts en masse.
"Another Hufflepuff girl?" Albus questioned, clearly not pleased at the prospect. There was not much he could say to stop Severus though, and they both knew it.
"No, Miss Brown. Foolish girl. She should have taken some tips off Miss Parkinson on managing expressions of upset in the proper manner, she at least waited till she was out of the classroom before crying." Severus remarked, recalling the shocked expressions on the faces of his Slytherin students when he turned on one of his own. He had been in no mood for any idiocy or disobedience that day, from anyone. His mood had been so foul that not even favouritism had been a factor.
"You should really stop this Severus, think how it is damaging your good reputation." Albus stated. Severus paused and glowered at the Headmaster, not finding the joke at all amusing.
"What good reputation? I have no reputation other than being the irate Bat of the Dungeons, Potions Master and Death Eater spy, one of the more vicious to grace the ranks." Severus replied sourly, once again being confronted with the reality of his situation. That was who he was and there was no way to get around that. He would always be that person, and nothing could ever change his circumstances. A look of such feeling and compassion fell over Albus' face that Severus was forced to turn his head away. He could not stand the old codger's pity.
"You are a good man Severus, I have seen it in you." Albus replied softly. Severus held his hand up as though to swipe Albus' words from the air before they reached his ears and permeated into his mind.
"Not good enough, and you swore to me that you would never-" Severus was cut off half way through his speech by the other man speaking, his voice slightly louder than before.
"That I will never reveal the best of you? Yes. I will forever honour that, even though it pains me greatly." Severus couldn't help but think sourly that with all the pain Albus was being caused by other's actions that it was a surprise he was still able to keep on.
"Everything pains you greatly Albus." Severus pointed out. Albus smiled sadly and chuckled, his laugh so very hollow that it caused Severus a large amount of discomfort to hear it.
"Are you sure you will not take a sherbet lemon my dear boy." Albus pressed, grabbing hold of the bowl and pushing it towards Severus. Severus stood up from the chair and took a few steps away towards the door.
"No damned sherbet lemons!" He exclaimed, glaring hatefully at the cheerfully yellow sugary confections. Albus laughed, this time properly with genuine merriment.
Hermione was back in the room with all the books again. She was going to assume that it was a Library of some sort. She felt a leap of fear in her stomach as she recalled the last time she had been in that place. She had not been alone. She had been joined by a young man, who just couldn't be. With what she knew in her waking thoughts, he couldn't be. Not here, not in her dreams, not so young. All of it was impossible.
"Nothing is impossible if you have the will." His voice emanated from behind her and Hermione turned around slowly, dreading what she was going to see. She sucked in a deep breath and screwed her eyes shut, hoping that when she opened them again he would be gone, or she would have woken up. She opened her eyes again. No such luck.
He was still standing there, watching her inquisitively, like one would look at an insect she assumed.
"I know who you are!" Hermione exclaimed, hoping that saying this would not endanger her in any way. It was just a dream though and she had to remember that.
"It may just be a dream, but remember the power that dreams contain is mighty." He said, his voice soft and quiet. She didn't know if this was how he had spoken when he was younger, if his voice box had been ruined from roaring all those dark curses at people, or if it was intentional.
"What are you doing here, again?" Hermione questioned, rooted to the spot by her fear as he began to walk towards her. She couldn't move, no matter how much she wanted to. When he was close enough he began to circle her. She could feel his eyes roaming over her body and she recoiled when he reached his hand out to brush his fingers across her cheek.
"I am here because you want me here." He said simply, a cold smile on his lips. Hermione shuddered then clapped her hands over her mouth. She didn't want that to be misinterpreted. At her actions he did something she would never have expected. He threw his head back and laughed. He laughed, not like the evil maniac he was, but like a boy heartily amused by something.
"It is your dream after all." He stated, looking at her with those cold, calculating eyes. Hermione shook her head.
"I don't want you here. I want you dead!" She yelled the last loudly, her words echoing around the room. He stood there, watching her silently, as though considering her and what his next move would be.
"Very well then." He stated simply. Hermione was confused, and it must have shown on her face.
"Before I leave though…" He drew even closer to her, his hands gripping onto her wrists and pinning them to her sides. Hermione felt her heart thumping against her ribcage in a rapid dance of fear. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. They were warmer than she would ever have thought. He released one of her wrists and ran his free hand through her curls. Hermione felt her body beginning to react to his lips and his touch, despite what her mind screamed. She gasped when his hand drifted down her back, his fingers dancing along her spine. He took that moment to slip his tongue into her mouth and begin caressing her own softly. Hermione moaned and pressed herself against him. He broke the kiss and chuckled, releasing her and stepping back.
"Farewell." He paused in his speech and began to step back even further from her. He was leaving.
"Hermione." He breathed her name out as a lover would. Lover. Ron. Hermione fell to her knees, burying her head in her hands as she realised what she had just done. He laughed again, and it was all Hermione could hear. Even after he was gone, and everything was dissolving around her, all Hermione could hear was his laughter ringing in her ears.