Chapter 4
Rated M For a Reason!
-Start-
"Come out to the pitch with up 'Mione! You've been at this all day!" Ron whined for the fourth time that day.
"Ron, I have Newts in two weeks and to be honest with you even if I didn't I would STILL not want to come out to the pitch. Besides shouldn't you be working on your potions essay? I bet you haven't even started it." She responded a slight edge to her voice.
"Blimey, you aren't even in the class anymore and you're nagging me about assignments. How'd you know about it anyway?" he asked.
"Professor Snape is my instructor as well Ron, besides I saw the assignment on the board when I went in to pick up some of my apprentice reading."
"You've already started your apprentice work? But you haven't taken you Newts yet."
"Yes well, it is rather important to know what I'll be doing before I start it." She said thinking back on last week when she'd met with Professor Snape. Her work was important, compared to finding this cure, her Newts seemed rather unimportant.
-Flashback-
"Miss Granger?" Snape asked somewhat confused when she stepped into his classroom.
"Yes Professor, the Headmaster told me to come down this evening to speak with you about any research you may have for me to start reading over.
"Research…. Ah yes the research for your apprenticeship." He spoke slowly as if he had forgotten.
"Professor we're alone I don't think you have to act like it's for real."
"Oh, why yes, must have slipped my mind." He mumbled as he walked over to the door leading to his private rooms. "One moment."
She had already been worried hearing her Professor mumble compared to the usually smooth but stern voice he usually spoke with but when he stumbled from his office twenty minutes later, when he usually walked with a grace even felines envied, mumbling about how he apologized but he'd simply misplaced it, she knew that everything was getting much worse. The headmaster had acted as though this was something that while important was not too time sensitive but seeing this she completely forgot about her Newts for three days and threw herself into memorizing each piece of research Professor Snape had previously done.
-Present-
Hermione was perched in a little alcove in the library reading through the remainder of Professor Snapes' notes when she felt someone's eyes on her. So as not to give herself away she seemingly kept doing what she was until she accidentally dropped the quill she'd been playing with to the floor.
"Bollocks…" she whispered playing into dropping her quill.
"Language, language Granger. Didn't the mudbloods parents teach her to act like a little lady? Or maybe they realized that no matter how you acted you'd still be filth." Malfoy spat out.
"Honestly Malfoy don't you have anything better to do than stalk me while I'm in the library?"
"Don't flatter yourself Granger, I wouldn't waste my precious time on filth like you. I was just wondering what you were doing with that to be quite honest." He said pointing to the book she'd had braced against the side of her leg until after she'd finished reading the remainder of the Professors notes.
"My book? What business is it of yours why I have it? Bugger off Malfoy and find someone else to bother with your childish games." Hermione spat tossing her things in her bag and turning to leave. But before she took two steps she found herself slammed into the wall, her vision blurring.
"Stupid little mudblood. Don't you know what you're playing with carrying books like that around here? I always knew you weren't as smart as all these imbeciles thought you were but I never thought you were stupid enough to carry something like that around. Or maybe," he said stroking her cheek with the bend of his finger, "maybe you do know what you're carrying around. If you wanted my attention Granger," he whispered against her ear as he ground against her, "you could've just asked. Mudblood or not I can appreciate a good body like yours, I could show you some of the real bonuses to practicing the dark arts. You know where to find me." He finished pushing off the wall with his hands that had been on either side of her head. She stood there trembling, completely unsure of what had just happened. It took her a few minutes before she looked around and realized she was sitting on the floor, knees pressed to her chest and her bag lying forgotten on the floor. She picked herself up off the floor and headed for the exit to the library, instinctively turning towards the dungeons. She had some questions she wanted answered.
-Break-
Without even knocking Hermione pushed the door to the potions classroom open and slammed the door shut behind her, wand instinctively flicked to the side to cast both a locking and silencing charm.
"Miss Granger what in the devil the meaning of this? Barging into my classroom as though you have no respect for where and may I remind you who you are here to see." Snape spat at jumping to his feet and glaring down at Hermione.
"I don't particularly bloody care who I am speaking to after what just happened to me! Malfoy just try to give me a concussion and then practically tried to shag be against a wall because of this bloody book!" she said throwing the book down on top of his desk, chest heaving and hands slightly shaking from how angry she was now. "What in the bloody hell is so important about this book? And don't give me some bullshit story about how you have no idea! I remember how you were slightly apprehensive giving it to me in the first place, of course little Miss Granger," she said sarcastically, "was obviously too naïve in thinking that it was because you didn't want my grubby know-it-all fingers dirtying your precious book." She spat in her best Professor Snape tone.
Then the worst thing that could've happened did. Professor Snape started laughing. The loud boisterous rumble that was falling from his lips left Hermione standing there in shock. And the longer he laughed the quicker the shock was starting to turn to anger.
"You're laughing? You're LAUGHING at me? Malfoy bloody rubs himself against me," she said with a disgusted look on her face, "and you think it's funny." She said stomping her foot down.
"No, no..." he said as he began gaining control of himself again, "what I think is funny, is that you just barreled into my classroom as if I would care. Then you throw my personal book at me, which you obviously stole and imitate me. Never before Miss Granger," he sneered as he towered over her, "have I had a student stupid enough to challenge me so outright. Never before Miss Granger," he said almost dangerously, "have I had a student ask for me to ruin every chance of their house winning the house cup. Two hundred point from Gryffindor and detention for the rest of the year. I would suggest you pick up your things and start walking towards the Headmasters office before I put my death eater training to good use and simply kill you." He spat.
"But…but Professor! Steal it, you gave it to me, you…." She trailed off as all colour drained from her face as realization dawned on her.
"Do you believe me to be unintelligent Miss Granger?"
"No, no sir." She said taking a step back from him. This was not the Professor Snape who she had begun to appreciate in the last couple of weeks.
"Then why would you even believe trying to lie to me, about something I would have supposedly had done, to be a good idea?"
"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again. I'll go straight to the Headmasters office from here, I promise."
"I know you will because I will be accompanying you there and afterward you will have your first detention that I can assure you will leave you wishing whoever put you up to this harebrained stunt were dead."
-Break-
"Mary Jane." Professor Snape snapped to the gargoyle for entrance to the Headmasters office.
"Ahh Severus, do you like my new password? I'm thinking of sticking with older muggle candies for passwords this year, what do you think?"
"I think I do not particularly care about the asinine passwords you choose Albus. What I do care about is how you are going to handle Miss Grangers abominable indiscretions of this afternoon."
"Whatever do you mean dear boy?" Albus said looking alarmed.
"Why don't you share with him Miss Granger?" Snape drawled.
Hermione began to retell the events of the afternoon including everything that had happened with Malfoy, leaving out Malfoys lewd comments about having sex with her, now that she'd calmed down she didn't particularly care to share that with anyone else, especially not the Headmaster. As she was coming to an end she stopped and added one last thing.
"I believe, Headmaster, that the curse is playing tricks on Professor Snape. I don't believe he remembers giving me the book and that that is why he believes I stole it." She stated not daring a look at Professor Snape.
"I see, I apologize for everything that you went through this afternoon child. Here let me check to make sure you do not in fact have a concussion." Albus said waving his wand and casting a diagnostic spell over her head.
"Headmaster this is outrageous! She is obviously lying. What curse is she even going on about?" Snape bit out.
"Sit Severus please." And before Snape even knew what had happened his whole body lost its rigidness and the Headmaster was staring directly into his eyes obviously focused on a certain task involving legilimency. Hermione sat there for twenty minutes before the Headmaster slumped back in his chair looking obviously drained.
"Is Professor Snape alright Headmaster?" Hermione asked looking over to her now unconscious Professor in the chair beside her.
"He is fine child, he should come too in a few minutes now. I had to construct barriers around what I believe is the curse but they will not hold for long, we will be lucky if they hold for a month, even that is hoping too much I believe. I extracted the memories and actions that is seemed to be effecting at that moment but because I am unsure of how to approach the curse since I have never seen it I do not know if it worked. Severus' mind is so unorganized right now compared to how it usually is, he put up almost no fight when I entered his mind and once I was in all of his barriers came crashing down. We will need to think of something over the next couple weeks, he will not be able to go back to Voldemort once the barriers I placed fall." Albus said looking every bit his age for the first time since Hermione had known him.
And as Professor Snape began to come around he, Dumbledore and Hermione began discussing how the best way to handle the coming weeks would be. And Hermione forget all about the incident with Malfoy and her questions about the book she had been reading all that week.
-Break-
1 Week Later
"Miss Granger we believe we have come up with a solution for Professor Snapes current problem. He will obviously not be able to go back to Tom after he schedules his final meeting. You will be taking your Newts next week and after that we had planned on you working with Professor Snape the majority of your free time. However, that may have to change some if this plan is to work. Professor Snape is slipping much faster into the dementia than he originally feared and we will need someone to take over his classes before he slips into it." Albus stated.
"Who are you going to get? I should only really need access to his private laboratory to work on the cure. At this point I'm very well versed in the research and have begun to grasp the potions theory he is working with. I'd imagine I will still have to apprentice with whoever you have to replace him so I can keep the cover we have built." She responded.
"You Miss Granger, you will be taking over his classes. Before you balk at the idea, it is truly the only option we have been able to come up with. It will allow Professor Snape to devote his complete attention to working on his cure, give you access to his labs without any question from the students or other faculty and it will allow him to play the story through he will feed to Tom. Truly Miss Granger you have been beyond the level of your peers for many years, you complete the majority of your potions tasks without help and you have been helping fellow Gryffindors for years! Teaching should be quite easy for you if you were to follow Severus' teaching plans."
"What exactly is he telling Voldemort?" she asked.
"He will tell him that I am sending him away to set up extra safe houses for the Order. Instead he will spend all of his time in his private rooms and lab working on his cure as fast as he possibly can. Then after classes you would be able to go over everything he'd work on and help him from there. It will not be easy Miss Granger. You will be working every hour you are not sleeping, you will have to attempt to gain the respect of your peers, some of whom are even slightly older than you. It is your choice to take on this responsibility."
"Of course I'll do it Headmaster, we cannot afford to lose Professor Snape or else we could lose the war." She said quickly, not even thinking of the implications of her words.
"I'm thrilled that my well being is so much of your concern." Snape drawled out startling her as he stepped out of the stair case leading into the Headmasters office.
"Headmaster won't Voldemort expect Professor Snape to give him the location of our safe houses?" she asked quickly looking away from her Professor.
"Of course he will and I will give him the locations of safe houses we no longer use, hopefully he will give me…." He trailed off, obviously not intending to finish his sentence.
"Oh, well that makes sense I guess."
"Merlin save us, we have proved we are not complete imbeciles to Miss Granger! Now I can sleep peacefully tonight." Snape said sarcastically.
"Hmph, well I believe, it that's all, that I am going to head to bed for the night. I only have a week left before my Newts and I still have a few chapters of research reading to finish up tonight."
"I'll expect to see you enjoying yourself tomorrow Miss Granger! After all it isn't everyday that one turns of age in the wizarding world! A happy early birthday to you child, try to enjoy it and I will see you the day after tomorrow for your occlumency lessons." Albus said smiling at her.
"Thank you Headmaster, Professor Snape," she said nodding in his direction, "have a goodnight." With that she stepped out of the office, closing the door softly behind her and heading to her dormitory to finish her work.
-Break-
"How are her occlumency lessons coming Albus? Will she be ready to stand in front of a classroom with my Slytherins? Many of them are trained in legilimency and even they weren't you Gryffindors never were known for being subtle. I fear occlumency or not Miss Granger may not withstand any questioning." Snape inquired.
"She is doing marvelous. I have never had the pleasure of teaching her until now and it is a wonder she has not been bored in her classes all these years if she has always learned like this! She can completely block me from reaching her memories but she has not quite gotten to pushing me from her mind yet. I believe with work she will be able to push me out within the next couple of weeks."
"Damn it Albus that isn't good enough!"
"Severus what do you expect? It usually takes people months, if they ever manage it, to reach the level Miss Granger has reach in two weeks! We are lucky she had done research on occlumency ahead of time and actually understood the basic concepts so well. What more would you have me do my boy?"
"Nothing, you can do nothing, you are right. I am simply worried Albus, my whole cover rests on the shoulders of a teenager. " He sneered. "Oh top of that while it is helpful that she can block her thoughts, and even push someone from her mind it is obvious. If she cannot push certain feelings or images to the front of her mind then it will become obvious she is trying to hide something and that alone could give me away."
"Ah but she is smart Severus. Perhaps you will be able to help her with projecting images, in theory at least. I have never been very skilled in that area as you know. You will need to help her over the next few weeks before you go into hiding Severus. She must be as prepared as she can be to take over your classes. Have you spoken to Tom recently?"
"I spoke with Tom very briefly last night and scheduled another meeting for next Thursday, that gives us just over a week and I will tell him then that the week after next I will be going to work on the safe houses and will not be back until after Christmas break at the earliest. That should hopefully give us enough time to figure out a cure."
"Do you believe you will make it that long before the dementia takes over Severus?" Albus asked worriedly.
"I do not know Albus."
-Break-
As the hours ticked by Hermione could be found sprawled across her bed, book lying open in the relaxed hand and papers strewn across the bed. As the clock struck midnight she rolled over and snuggled into her blankets unaware of the faint glow she had taken on momentarily. And on the other side of the castle Albus Dumbledore jerked awake, eyes wide as he felt the wards of Hogwarts shift.
"What is the matter Albus?" Minerva whispered sleepily, her hand resting on his forearm.
"I don't know Minerva, the wards, the wards have changed." He whispered.
She jumped up covers falling to the side as she rushed for her robe, "What do you mean the wards have changed? Have they fallen Albus? Are we under attack?"
"No, no, sit back down my dear. There is no one here, the wards are safe, they even feel stronger but they have shifted somehow, almost as if they have woken up after a long sleep."
The couple lay back down and drifted into a peaceful, undisturbed sleep.
-End-
*Hopefully you enjoyed it, I made it longer just as requested! Is this a good length for everyone or would you prefer it shorter/longer? Anyone have any ideas? I'll let you in on a little something I told another reviewer, the prophecy, while it is a key part to the plot is NOT the main focus of this story it is there to explain Voldemorts interest in Hermione which will lead into the main plot. I'm sorry if this seems rather slow to some people, I just want to make sure I cover my bases and don't confused anyone. I believe the prophecy will come out in the next chapter, depends on where the plot bunnies take me! Let me know what you think!