Snape sat in his kitchen with his booted feet up on the table and drank his brandy. He watched the full moon cross the sky over the forlorn clotheslines in the neighboring backyards, and wondered why he felt a knot of trepidation in his gut.
It simply wasn't like him. Granger was taking her first N.E.W.T. tomorrow, not him. Gods. He was so many years removed from this type of silly drama. He'd never cared this much when he'd been a teacher, unless it was to hope a student did badly enough on their O.W.L.s that he wouldn't have to see them in his classroom again.
He scowled and poured himself more brandy. Maybe he was just getting old and sentimental. The idea disgusted him. If Granger had used half of her brain, she could have been done with all this last summer when they let the other graduates sit their exams. Instead, he'd had to pick her up off the floor and drag her through finishing up something she'd been too stupid to research for herself.
He swallowed half his drink and snorted into his glass. Or maybe he is just an idiot who likes to lie to himself. He knew exactly why he was sitting here worried about the silly little girl. He'd known all along why he'd done all of it. The fact of the matter was Snape wouldn't have been arsed about the girl at all if she hadn't told him she liked him that first day in the patent office. Admired him, even.
Nobody living really liked Severus Snape. Respected him, perhaps, like Minerva, but like? Aside from Albus, only Lily had ever actually said she liked him and that had meant something special to him—even if "but only as a friend" was endlessly tacked on to the end.
Then, out of the blue, comes Granger, an irrational, slip of a girl with a twisted sense of humor, and a confusing mix of strength and fragility. She joked with him, teased him, challenged him, and then, just when he was thoroughly confused, she would suddenly show him a profound respect that had been sorely missing since he'd nearly had his throat ripped out.
These long months, he'd actually had someone he'd considered a friend. Just a friend, despite what the papers wanted to twist it into. The idea of them being anything more was just absurd, and didn't deserve the energy it took to deny it.
He drank the other half of his brandy and sloshed some more into the glass, just as the Hercules came and perched in the open window and daintily stuck out his foot.
"What did you do, get lost? Come over here, I'm too tired to come to you." The owl chirruped and hopped across the table to him. He untied the note and gestured to the perch.
He'd never bothered to get an owl of his own, and so it wasn't until this poor blighter started to show up at his window that he'd finally installed a perch. The overworked bastard had to deal with Granger sending up to four notes in a night sometimes.
He broke the seal and unfolded the parchment before picking up his drink again.
'Dear Mr. Snape,
I can't do it. I know I will be letting you down, but I just cannot go back to Hogwarts tomorrow and take that first exam. I will make a fool of myself and humiliate you. Tomorrow is Transfiguration. I had everything down, I really did, but this evening it's just gone. All of it. I can't transfigure a single thing. I've been at it for hours now and I'm a complete wreck.
Everyone knows that you have been helping me. If I go in there tomorrow, I will shame you. I will destroy your reputation and turn you into a laughingstock.
If I simply don't show up, then everyone will think I am just an ungrateful cow and it will be no reflection on you at all. You see? I think it's sound logic.
I cannot stress enough how much it means to me that you have put yourself out in this way, for a student you couldn't begin to give a damn about, no less. I hope this little setback won't stop you from mentoring others on the future. You are a marvelous teacher and a wonderful human being.
Which is why I can't go there tomorrow and have them think that my utter lack of ability is in any way connected to you.
I do hope you understand.
You have my undying gratitude for the time you have taken with me, and I promise, this is my last owl.
Yours,
Hermione J. Granger.'
He stared at the parchment and heaved a sigh. Clearly, the girl was an idiot.
"You'd better spend the night. She'll work you to death in this state," he said to the bird. A relieved trill was his reply. He dragged his heavy boots off the table with a thud and flicked the window closed with his wand. He warded it and finished his brandy, before he carefully set the glass down and wandered off to bed.
Hermione woke to her alarm shrieking, her cat nagging, and her owl scratching at her window. She scrambled out from under the covers and raced to the window, handing the owl a treat before untying the note attached to its leg. She hurriedly unfolded the letter and saw, 'Then don't…' written in the familiar, spidery script that always made her feel better. She sighed and pressed the note to her forehead before turning to her cat and smiling.
"He really is marvelous, Crooks."
She dropped the note on the bed and hurried off to jump in the shower to get ready for her first test.
Hermione walked through the gates of Hogwarts for the first time in nearly two years, fighting back nausea and clutching two little words in her hand. She could do this. Logic dictated there was no way she could fail if she did so well on the pretest. Surely she'd only improved her grade since, with all of her cramming and studying. And besides, it didn't really matter to anyone but herself. That was what Snape had shown her that day he'd brought the test, and it was what he'd reminded her of this morning with his terse reply to her mortifying display of night-before jitters.
She clutched her note tighter and lifted up her chin as she headed up the steps and saw Professor McGonagall waiting for her with a smile.
Hermione exploded through the doors of The Three Broomsticks with a shout that was quickly answered by Harry and Ron. They let out loud whoops as they came pounding up, and they whirled her in circles, as they took turns hugging her.
"I assume from the smile you did well on Arithmancy and Ancient Runes?" Harry asked.
"Go on, Harry, you know she aced it. This is Hermione we're talking about."
"I did well enough for me, and that's all that matters," she said smugly.
Harry stopped and stared at her. "Whoa. Where did this new attitude come from? I like it."
"Oh, a certain snide professor finally managed to pound it into my needy little ego."
"Speaking of, I would have thought he'd be here already," said Ron. "We invited him to join our little celebration."
"You did?" she asked excitedly, craning her head around the bar. There were a lot of people in the place for a Friday afternoon, but she didn't see any tall wizards in black. "Did he reply?"
"Well, no," Ron said.
"Oh. Then he's probably not coming," she said. "He doesn't like to go out in public much. He hasn't even met with me outside of my job since his smile made the papers. I'll send him an owl when I get home and let him know how I did."
"You might want to write that letter now," said Ron. "We won't be fit for much by the time we're done celebrating."
Harry laughed. "Ron here had been planning this for weeks. Be advised, along with us getting horrendously drunk, he's planning on dragging us all off to get tattoos."
"Oh, good lord," said Hermione.
His feet were up on the table, as usual, but the boots had come off, and the brandy glass had been emptied for the last time, hours before. Hercules landed on the sill, and his chirruping hoot disturbed the sound of his snores, but not his sleep. The little owl hopped around the empty bottle and pecked at the man's knee, before flapping back out of the way.
A bloodshot eye opened and pinned the bird with a baleful stare before sliding away and looking at the clock. It was half past three in the morning.
The bird hooted mournfully and stuck its foot out.
"Do not expect pity," came the rumbling voice.
Snape sat up and twisted his head around on his neck to try and work out the kink. He leaned forward and untied the note and gestured towards the perch. He lifted his wand and filled the brandy glass with water and drank deeply before he tore the seal off the note.
Dear Severus,
Yes, I'm going to call you Severus. I call all of my friends by their first names, and I simply don't see the point of continuing to address you in any manner other than truthfully. I am not always truthful to myself, but I am unstintingly truthful to those I care about. You are my friend.
Okay. Moving on.
I have a new tattoo! It's wonderful and represents my new self. I can't wait for you to see it. No, wait. You can't see it. Well, anyway. It's very 'me'. Or the new me, at any rate.
As you must have already surmised, I'm done. I know I did well, thanks to you. And you would have known I did well had you bothered to show up at my small but happy little party. It was just Harry and Ron at first, but then George showed up and Neville.
Do you remember Neville? He killed that fucking snake, you know. Fucking snake. Did you know I was there? We were hiding. I know you saw Harry, but I'm not sure you knew I was there as well. You were still a bad man at that point, but I was so sickened to see you subjected to such horror. I thought you were dead. I swear, we all thought we'd seen you die. Gods, what a fucked up way to go. A snail! Snail? I mean snake. Whatever. But it was just the potion you took. You're so clever. You are marvelous. Have I said that yet? I know I tell you all the time, but I mean it. These last few weeks have been really important to me. No one, besides Harry and Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys, come to think of it, really gives a fiddler's fart about me, except for you. I do hope you understand that I think you are marvelous. I also think I am about to be sick. Hold that thought.
Righto. I'm back and I feel much better. I should probably take some Soberup potion, but I think it is probably out of date. I can't remember the last time I went out drinking. Where was I? Oh, I don't know what I am talking about anymore. I will write to you again when I'm not spinning so fast and give you all the gory details.
Oh! One more thing! Minerva offered to let me be in the graduation ceremony. I think I will. Would you be there? You are really one of the only people I care about these days and I would love to have you be there.
Okay. I need to vom again, so I will just sign off.
Love you,
Hermione
Snape read the letter through four times before he finally pushed away from the table. Clearly, the girl was still an idiot.
The sun was bright in the sky and Hogwarts looked like a festive jewel with its brightly colored banners streaming in the breeze, as Hermione headed towards the Quidditch pitch for the commencement. She and Harry walked along in a sea of ginger as the Weasley clan moved en masse to watch the youngest member graduate.
They all wished her well, and Harry gave her an extra squeeze as she split off to go take her seat behind the graduating class. She waved and blew a kiss to Ginny when she caught her eye, but didn't see the one person she wanted to see the most.
Mr. Snape had sent his best wishes for her future, and a hangover remedy, after she'd finished up her exams a week ago, but she hadn't heard from him since. She'd continued to send the odd note here and there, it seemed strange to suddenly have no reason to correspond, but had received no replies.
She knew Harry, Ron, and all the Weasleys were very proud of her, but she also knew they were really here for Ginny. It sounded so silly when she actually thought about it, but the fact was, she missed her parents desperately and wished she had someone here for just her.
The ceremony finally got underway and Hermione listened attentively, as Minerva spoke about the changes the year had wrought and the bright shiny futures awaiting in the Wizarding world for this latest class of graduates. The Minister spoke next, followed by Pascal Richter, from the Board of Governors, who droned on until the crowd fell into a stupor. By the time they started to call up the graduates, Hermione was having trouble keeping her eyes open. They'd only made it halfway through the H's when her head snapped up at the sound of muttering and whispering. She looked around but thankfully, no one seemed to care that she had fallen asleep. She made a concerted effort to follow along, loudly cheering for Luna, but lost track again, somewhere in the M's.
She woke when a deep, male voice murmured in her ear, "Bad form, Granger. At least cast a Silencing Charm if you're going to snore." She spun so fast she smashed her cheekbone into his nose.
"You came!" she whispered excitedly when she saw him sitting directly behind her holding his nose and scowling. "I'm so glad to see you! I was looking everywhere when I got here!"
"Obviously, I came. I was trying to be discreet, something you are obviously incapable of. Now turn around and stop making a scene, you foolish little girl."
She stuck her tongue out at him and turned around, grinning like a fool. She turned to the student next to her, a Hufflepuff she barely remembered, who was staring at her in alarm, and proudly said, "That's my tutor!"
She heard an irritated sigh from behind her and giggled. She clapped loud and long when Ginny's name was called and after a few more students, that year's class was done.
McGonagall raised a hand and called for silence from the jubilant crowd.
"It is my honor, indeed an honor for all of us, to include in this year's class, a student from the House of Gryffindor, who finished her coursework after a long delay due to our recent conflict. I am very proud to announce she received an Outstanding in all eleven of the N.E.W.T.s she sat for. This is an amazing achievement, and will stand as a benchmark for all of our students in future years. I am very proud to present to you, Hermione Jean Granger."
Hermione's face froze in its nervous smile as she realized what the Headmistress had said. Eleven Outstandings. She took a breath and stood up and smiled at the man behind her, looking as dyspeptic as usual. He nodded to her and then flicked a glance at the waiting crowd on the stage. She turned and walked up to the podium amidst the shouting of the Weasleys and the applause of the crowd.
She shook hands with McGonagall and then threw her arms around her. Hagrid snatched her up with his hug, and she nearly trampled Flitwick when she landed back on her feet. She hugged each and every one of her former teachers, wiping tears from her eyes the whole time. Then she turned and pumped her fist into the air, clutching her diploma and the students joined in, throwing their pointed hats into the air and screaming.
She jumped down from the podium and raced back towards her seat but ran around her row and made for Snape. His eyes grew wider as she neared and she laughed at how terrified he looked when she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. She felt him pat at her shoulders and squeezed him harder. Letting go, she scrambled into her seat for the last speech before the commencement was over.
As all the students all raced around in search of their families, Hermione turned around and smiled at her mentor and friend. "Please say you're coming to the Burrow for the party. It won't be a big crowd, just friends and family."
He gave her a pained expression and shook his head. "I think not." He stepped up closer to her and shook her hand. "Congratulations, Miss Granger. Eleven Outstandings is an amazing achievement. Never forget what you have done. It has been a rare pleasure to watch you take charge of your life. Enjoy it now." He gave her hand a small squeeze and stepped back.
"Thank you, Mr. Snape," she said—calling him Severus was a lot easier to do on parchment while pickled. "Thank you for everything."
He smirked at her and replied, "You are very welcome, Miss Granger. But don't lose sight of the fact that you basically did this by yourself. I merely facilitated the process."
He bowed his head to her and turned away, quickly disappearing into the crowd. She sighed and lifted up on her toes to find the knot of redheads in the crowd.
Hermione woke up to a pounding headache that turned into a pounding at her door. She punched her arms through the sleeves of her dressing gown and made her way to the door, calling, "Who's there?"
"It's Ginny!"
Hermione dropped her wards and pulled open the door. "I would love to say it's great to see you, but I just saw you," she turned to look at the clock, "five hours ago. What got you up so early?"
"Mum, did. She wanted me to be with you when you saw this. She figured Harry and Ron would just freak and make things worse." Ginny pulled out the Morning Edition of the Daily Prophet and handed it to her. "I'll go make some tea. You'd better sit down."
Hermione gave Ginny a questioning look and followed her into the kitchenette and sat at the small table. She unfolded the paper and looked at the headline.
Scandal at School!
Hogwarts Allows Snape's Young Lover to Steal the Show.
Public Outcry Spawns Investigation.
"What the hell is this?" Hermione said.
She looked down the page to the accompanying photographs. Her eyebrows flew up as she watched Snape lean in close and whisper something in her ear. In the picture, she turned her head slowly until it looked like they were kissing. The image cut off right away and then repeated.
"They slowed that shot down! I was snoring, and he was telling me to wake up! We weren't kissing!"
"We know," Ginny said. "Bill saw it happen and had a good laugh over Snape getting smashed in the nose."
Hermione looked back down with tears in her eyes. Another photo showed her throwing herself at him, you couldn't see his face in the shot, and then there was one of her by herself, standing on the podium holding her diploma over her head. "Oh my God. I'm going to be sick," she said. "What is there to investigate? I don't understand."
Ginny set the teapot on the table and rummaged through the cupboards for mugs. "The story says that they suspect you and Snape of cheating on the test somehow. That there was no way you could have earned those grades yourself after being out of school for so long and completely missing your seventh year. Dad Flooed Kingsley, and he said it's bollocks. No one ordered an investigation, but unfortunately, they probably will now. That's the way things go. If the Minister doesn't investigate, then it will look like some kind of cover-up, especially since he's still getting bad press for pardoning Snape to begin with.
Hermione scanned the Headlines again and found herself staring at the photograph of him leaning in to whisper in her ear. It was taken from just over his left shoulder, and you couldn't see either of their faces. It was mesmerizing. Even knowing the truth, the picture was a titillating masterpiece of manipulation.
"Gods, Gin, this makes me think I kissed him. He'll never speak to me again. He must be so humiliated. I'm such an idiot. I should never have asked him to come."
"Well, it's done now. We just have to figure out how to get through this."
Ugh, no good deed...