Okay, I apologize if you've been getting emails or thought that this chapter was up a few days ago, or today, or any time other than right now. It was supposed to be uploaded on Thursday, but FF has been freaking out, so I've just been trying to figure out what's happening. I'm so sorry if it's been an inconvenience!
This is in all likelihood the second to last chapter of You Don't Bring Me Flowers. Thank you for following it and reviewing it so far, and I hope you enjoy the last two chapters!
Chapter 4
It had been several days since Severus had confronted Hermione in the corridors on the way to the Great Hall, and nothing had changed. Well, perhaps something had changed. They had at least been acting civilly toward each other and acknowledging each other in the hallway, but beyond that, not much had changed. They still wouldn't speak aside from meals, and Severus was missing real conversation with his wife more and more with each passing day.
So Severus had finally admitted to himself that he had no idea what to do and had worked up the courage to knock on Minerva's door.
"Come in," she called from within her office, and Severus pushed the door open. "Severus? What can I do for you?"
He neglected to answer and instead collapsed into one of the comfortable chairs across from her desk.
"Severus," she prompted again, raising an expectant eyebrow.
The Potions Master sighed and looked up at her. After a moment, he painfully admitted, "Minerva, I don't know what to do."
She shuffled a pile of parchment on her desk, and leaned forward. "I see. Well, tell me your side of the story."
"It doesn't make any sense to me. We had been a little distant for a while. Hermione was always busy – as was I, certainly – but I would come home after a long day and she would all but ignore me. But I just dug into my research a little bit more and figured that perhaps we were just in a rough patch. I've heard that marriages endure that at times. I figured that we would recover because Merlin, Minerva, we've been through everything together.
"But when nothing changed as the weeks went by, I – I started to think. Hermione and the Weasley boy had always been close; they even dated for a bit after the War. It was just like Weasley to try to take everything from me, and as if I could blame Hermione for wanting someone a little . . . better."
Minerva opened her mouth to interrupt, but he quickly pressed on with his story.
"So I was jealous. But all couples get jealous. And besides, it was just a feeling; I don't think I had really believed that she could be cheating yet. But when she came in a week and a half ago to tell me she was going to the Burrow to visit Weasley and returned hours later with a massive fruit basket, I suppose I just couldn't ignore it any longer. I was going to win her back."
"Severus, you must know that Mr. Weasley would never give Hermione a fruit basket. I can assure you that it was a gift from Molly Weasley for both you and Hermione," Minerva interrupted.
Severus shook his head. "I knew who the fruit basket was from, Minerva." He ran a pale hand through greasy hair and continued. "Like I said, I was determined to win over my wife again. So one afternoon when I had finished classes, I walked to Hogsmeade to buy her a bouquet of flowers – just to let her know that I was thinking about her. It was something I used to do for her – bring back roses from Hogsmeade. I used the colors of the roses to show my feelings when I was unable to express them with words, I suppose. So I went to Hogsmeade to purchase roses since I felt like we weren't talking. Yellow for caring and jealousy, a color that I had never brought her."
Minerva gave him a long look. "And while in Hogsmeade? What happened then?"
He glared in response. "Now I know she's been speaking to you," he ground out lowly.
"Of course she has! Severus, you disappeared for four days with no warning, no note, no communication. Hermione was heartbroken, and I showed up and picked up the pieces because you weren't there." The Headmistress' eyes were hard when they met the Potions Master's.
Severus narrowed his eyes but moved on. "As I was saying before, I was buying flowers for my wife in Hogsmeade when the blizzard hit. Minerva, you've been teaching here for longer than I've been alive, so you and I both know that that was the worst blizzard Hogwarts has ever seen. And Minerva, I tried everything to reach her. I was going to Floo but the Floo in The Three Broomsticks was broken, and that's the only Floo in Hogsmeade that is connected to Hogwarts, as far as I know. I would have sent an owl, but the storm was so horrid that even I could not bear to send an animal out in that weather."
"And a Patronus?" Minerva questioned innocently, leaning back in her chair. Severus' face was unreadable. "It would have traveled to the castle through the storm without a problem, at least informing Hermione that you were safe."
Severus looked like he was at a loss for words. "If I'm being honest, I – I didn't even think to send a Patronus." His head fell into his hands. "Oh Merlin, I've lost her."
"I don't think so, Severus. What happened after Hogsmeade?"
He paused a moment before continuing. "As soon as the storm cleared a bit, I headed back to the castle. Make no mistake: the storm was still horrid; I nearly lost my way. When I finally returned, the snow had soaked my robes; I had barely preserved the damn flowers by shoving them into my pocket. I came in expecting Hermione to be worried, of course, but I didn't expect her to accuse me of cheating on her. And with Rosmerta, no less. I do admit that I lost my temper then, and of course while we were arguing, Hermione stumbled and revealed that she had been drinking, so naturally I was a bit irritated by that as well. And then she ran off to the Burrow – to Weasley." Severus' scowl cut off his story. "I think you know the rest. She won't speak to me aside from at meals, still lives with Weasley, and when I confronted her and asked her to talk to me, she blew up on me."
"I think you're forgetting to mention that you accused her of cheating on you with Ron Weasley," Minerva cut in.
"Of course I did! And I don't regret it. She had no problem of accusing me of cheating of her with Rosmerta." His face was twisted in irritation. "And my assumption was perfectly logical. She's been close with him for years, dated him, runs to him every time we fight, currently lives with him – I think my reasons are perfectly sound. Besides, I have seen that boy cheat on every assignment he possibly could when he was here."
Minerva said nothing in response to Severus' tirade.
"You can't even provide me with a proper reason not to believe she's cheating."
Click, click, click. Both Severus and Minerva looked up to find a tawny owl tapping on the large, ornate window to Minerva's right. She rose with a sigh to retrieve the letter, opening it before sitting down. Severus lit the candles in the office with his wand as the Headmistress folded the parchment and stored it in a drawer of her desk.
Minerva looked up and folded her hands, taking another moment to watch Severus' scowl deepen before replying. "Severus, did you know that Ron Weasley is dating someone?"
"If you think for one moment that I think highly enough of Weasley to expect him to be faithful to his girlfriend –"
"Boyfriend," Minerva interrupted, and Severus stopped.
"Boyfriend?" The Potions Master looked puzzled.
"I would have expected you of all people to know that Mr. Malfoy has been dating Mr. Weasley for several weeks now."
"Draco hadn't told me," Severus answered quietly, still seeming befuddled. "So Weasley isn't. . ."
"No, Severus, Mr. Weasley is not romantically involved with your wife."
"And you're sure?"
"As sure as I could ever be."
Confusion quickly morphed into despair on Severus' face. "Oh, Merlin. Oh, I really have lost her." His head dropped. "I – what have I done?"
"You've hurt her, Severus, but don't assume that you've already lost her," Minerva murmured. "You can't avoid hurting each other sometimes, but you both need to get over your pride and talk about it."
"Believe me, Minerva, I got over my pride as soon as Hermione left. I don't care about anything but getting her back now. I can't breathe when she's not with me. I can't think without her there. She's on my mind all the time, but she won't talk to me. I need her, but she hardly even acknowledges my presence anymore." Minerva could hear the pain in his voice.
"You are a fool, Severus Snape," she said bluntly, and Severus' brow furrowed in shock. "You're hurt and defensive, and you're pushing her away. You just need to be honest with her."
"I beg your pardon, but I don't really think that I'm at fault here. I'm not the one who went running off for comfort from another man as soon as we fought."
"Severus, that girl loves you more than I have ever seen anyone love another person. You light up her world. And if you would look past your infantile jealousy for one bloody moment, if you would pull your brilliant head from your arse, maybe you would notice the way that she looks at you."
He laughed humorlessly. "You mean the way that she used to look at me."
"No, I mean the way that she still looks at you, Severus, like you're her entire world. You've just been too blind to see it. And I strongly advise that you drop your argument about Mr. Weasley if you know what's good for you, especially since it's a moot point. Even if he wasn't dating Mr. Malfoy, we aren't questioning his loyalty here. We're questioning your wife's, and I know for a fact – and you should too – that she would never be unfaithful to you for a single day in her entire life. So this problem isn't hers, Severus – it's yours."
Severus crossed his arms across his chest. "I accept that I've acted rashly and assumed things perhaps quicker than should have. Of course I accept that I'm not innocent in this, but none of that changes the fact that she's not speaking to me anyway, Minerva. She thinks I cheated on her too."
"And did you give her a reason to believe so?"
"Of course I didn't!" he shouted, nearly spitting in his rage. He was on his feet in an instant, leaning into Minerva's face. "I tried to do one nice thing for my wife and was caught in a blizzard. I hardly think that I'm in control of the weather. I thought that I tried everything, and I admit now that I didn't even think about a Patronus, but even if I had, remember my situation. I was jealous and suspicious of my wife's loyalty. I wasn't exactly in the happy state of mind needed to conjure a Patronus."
"Then explain that. Your wife is a very logical woman, and if you would stop defending yourself so much and just logically explain your side of the story, admitting that you made a mistake, maybe she wouldn't be so defensive either."
"Minerva, I would tell her anything if it would bring her back to me." His dark eyes were imploring.
"Then just be honest. She's hurt, Severus. You've hurt her badly, and she's just pushing you away to keep you from hurting her again."
"If that's what she wants, why didn't she end it? Why didn't she say good-bye and take her stuff and leave me on my own? That's what it seems like she wants to do."
Minerva's voice was quiet when she replied. "She loves you so much, Severus. You've been through so much together. Maybe she just can't figure out how."
The stern woman rose from her desk swiftly, grabbing a pinch of Floo powder and throwing it into the fire before Severus could even inquire as to what she was doing. The woman called out, "The Burrow!" and within moments, his wife was standing before him and brushing bits of soot off her robes.
Hermione froze when she saw him sitting in the chair across from the Headmistress' desk.
"Sit down, Hermione," the woman instructed kindly, but when Hermione moved to lean against the window instead, her voice grew stern. "Next to Severus."
Hermione took the seat reluctantly as Minerva returned to her desk.
"I'm not a marriage counselor by any stretch of the imagination, but I can tell when two people need to talk. Now, I'm going to be in that room just around the corner to give you two a bit of privacy, but I swear to Merlin, if I hear even a single raised voice, I will sit here and make you two speak civilly as if I were in the presence of first years." She leveled them both with a steely glare before leaving the room, leaving Hermione and Severus alone for the first time since Hermione had stormed out of their quarters nearly a week ago.
They sat silently for a moment before Severus turned his chair towards hers, moving so close to her that their knees were nearly touching. Hermione looked uncomfortable.
"Severus."
"Hermione, please. Please just listen, because I don't know what else to do anymore besides explain."
Hermione sat back in the chair, still looking uncomfortable but nevertheless letting him continue.
Severus, normally stoic and composed, looked down at his hands and fidgeted his thumbs before speaking quietly. "I'm – I'm sorry, Hermione. I swear that I honestly believed that everything I did up to this point was the right thing to do. I went to Hogsmeade to buy you flowers because I thought that we were drifting apart and I wanted to fix things and somehow in the whole scheme of things, we lost ourselves and we lost each other. And I know that I'm not perfect, and I especially haven't been perfect over the past couple of weeks, but please, Hermione, at least listen to me."
Although her face was still impassive, Hermione's voice shook when she replied, "Neither of us have been perfect in this. I shouldn't have left – I know I shouldn't have, but I was so hurt. I still am hurt, Severus. For four days, I didn't know where you were. I was scared that you had finally given up and left, yes, but I was terrified that you had been caught in the storm and were stranded out there alone."
"I was more worried about leaving you alone."
Hermione shook her head. "And then you showed up with some bloody flowers and some seemingly far-fetched excuse, and I just jumped to conclusions. We were drifting apart already, and I was already scared that it was – that it was ending, I suppose, and so it just all made sense in my brain. I've seen Rosmerta flirt with everyone, and you staying there for days without any contact – it was the last straw. And I couldn't bear to even look at you, so I left. I had to."
"We both acted irrationally out of hurt. Beyond that, I should have sent a Patronus. It never even crossed my mind. But even if it had, I was so miserable, Hermione. Please believe me when I tell you that I was miserable and alone down there in Hogsmeade. And when I came back, I fully expected you to be angry, but certainly not to think that I was sleeping with someone else. How could you have thought so little of me?"
"No accusations!" came Minerva's stern voice from around the corner, and Severus saw Hermione truly smile for the first time in weeks. One corner of his lips turned up in response.
"I was hurt that you had even considered that possibility," Severus amended immediately. "But I'm guilty of the same sin. I apologize for questioning your faithfulness, something a good husband should never do without worthy cause. And with Weasley, no less. I truly am sorry, Hermione, and I beg your forgiveness."
"Severus, you do know that Ron is –"
"Dating Draco? Yes, I learned of it approximately ten minutes ago, courtesy of Minerva."
"What you said was uncalled for, but my accusation was as well," Hermione conceded.
Severus gave her a grim smile, and silence fell between them, broken only by the grandfather clock ticking in the corner and their breathing.
Hermione finally spoke up after a few minutes of tense silence. "We're both still hurt, Severus. And while I'm so glad that we're talking civilly, and that we're figuring out the situation, I think we still need some time to think. So, please, I just need some time. Can you give me that?"
He grabbed her hand boldly. "You can have all the time you need. I don't care if takes a week, or a month, or a year. I mean it; I won't rush you."
Hermione squeezed his hand once before returning to the fire and Flooing back to the Burrow. When she had gone, Minerva returned from the back room and sat in the chair that Hermione had been sitting in just moments before.
"What do I do now?
"Big romantic gesture, Severus. Give her a big romantic gesture."
He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought I was supposed to give her space?"
"Yes, she needs her space. But when she comes back, you need to show her how much she means to you," Minerva explained.
"Big romantic gesture?" Severus looked skeptical.
"Big romantic gesture."
Big romantic gesture? Let me know your thoughts :P