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When your sparkle evades your soul

I'll be at your side to console

When you're standing on the window ledge

I'll talk you back, back from the edge

I will turn; I will turn your tide

Do all that I can to heal you inside

I'll be the angel on your shoulder

My name is Geraldine; I'm your social worker


"So, you 'spilled your heart out to Snape', did you?"

It was an hour after Hermione stopped attacking Harry and now they sat on the kitchen floor facing each other, both holding a cup of coffee in each hand. It was around midnight and the only light came from the fire place which was blocked by the kitchen island that Hermione was sitting against. Hermione cringed when Harry mentioned Snape and their little talk over biscuits. She really didn't mean to mention to any let alone Harry who probably hated Snape more than anyone on Earth.

"…yeah…"

Harry grinned. "Well, what happened?" He prompted with his hands in a "get-on-with-it" gesture. Hermione shrugged her shoulder, in what she hoped, was a careless gesture.

"Nothing really."

Harry didn't believe that for a second and it showed in his face. Hermione sighed.

"Okay, it wasn't that bad." Harry raised a single eyebrow. "Okay! It was awful. I mean, I told him everything. Everything. I cried, I yelled, and I even cussed; in front of a professor!" Hermione set down her cup and buried her head in her raised knees. She mumbled, "I'm never going to be able to face him again."

"What was his reaction though," Harry smiled into his cup. "I mean, I know he makes a lot of girls cry but I don't think he has ever tried to comfort them before…"

Hermione lifted her head and shrugged again. "I guess his reaction wasn't that bad. He didn't laugh in my face nor did he kick me out of the room. He just listened. He didn't say a word the entire time he just handed me napkins and biscuits."

Harry looked surprised. "I thought for sure he would have kicked you out or something inhuman and mean along that nature." Harry paused and then looked evenly at Hermione. "Why were you even with Snape in the first place?"

Crap. "Professor Snape, Harry."

"Uh, I'm thinking of focusing my career in potions and wanted his advice and maybe some extra work or books to study, things like that." Hermione waved her hand in front of her trying to play down her meeting with Snape.

"I thought you liked Transfiguration better than potions?"

Hermione smiled at Harry. He knows me better than Ron does and his reaction he certainly better than Ron's… "Well, I like Trans as a class better than Potions, but I find that potions as a subject is more interesting than Trans."

Harry took a sip of his coffee and snorted. "Well, best of luck to you on that. I'm going the other route…"

Hermione titled her head questioningly.

Harry smirked. "You know. The route of defeating a dark lord getting all the fame and glory from that and then not needing to go to school to any job I wanted."

Hermione laughed.


Ginny was confused.

The confusion wasn't in an 'I can't figure out what flower to put in my cauldron to make it stop foaming', no it was an 'I wonder who gave me flowers' sort of confusion. Though no one had given Ginny flowers she was still confused the same as if someone did.

Draco confused Ginny.

She had spent hours after Draco had left her table in which he thanked her for the book, thanked her, and then walked back to the Dungeons, trying to figure out exactly what had transpired between them. Even though they didn't talk to each other, Ginny had watched him the entire time. At first it was a precautionary measure in order to check for any hexes being sent her way, but then she started watching him just to watch him.

He was a puzzle.

She watched the way his bleach blonde hair would fall in his eyes and every few minutes he would brush it back. Then she started to wonder when he stopped slicking his hair back, and then she thought how much better he looked now that he didn't have all that product in his hair. She also watched as his hands turned the pages of the book. She noticed his hands were more delicate than his and better maintained; probably through lots of hand lotion and the like.

She also watched him watching her and that's when she noticed his eyes.

It wasn't the color, though the ice blue was impressive, it was the look that the eyes held that caused her stop and look. On the surface they held confidence, but underneath there were a tumult of emotions. There was anger, at what, she didn't know; there was a deep sadness there to that caused her heart to contract a little, but there was one feeling that she saw that should far out from the rest.

Loneliness.

Ginny decided at that point that that was an emotion that could not be faked. So she endeavored to give Draco the benefit of the doubt, and maybe she could help make that lonely feeling recede.

"It seems we have the same taste in books."

Ginny looked up from the library table to see Draco standing there, leaning against a book shelf.

"So, it seems."


Severus sat in an arm chair looking at the couch that Hermione had only a few seconds ago, occupied.

He was still confused at why he even sat her down and listened to her instead of telling her 'to get over her annoying feelings and leave before she compromises the task'. Instead, he not only sat her down, but he gave her biscuits and tea and napkins. Not only that, but he listened to her, intently. And towards the end of the story he had this urge to leave the room, find Weasely, and curse him into oblivion, bring him back from oblivion, and then curse him again.

What really surprised Severus though is what he said to her when she made to leave.

'You're anything but common?' Why the hell did I say that?

At first he was going to say something because he felt it was proper because she just spent the last hour talking while he sat and listened. Then he thought, what he should say, should be something supportive, so she will recover faster and therefore be able to work on the potion (at least that was the excuse he gave to himself in his mind). Then the final thought that made him speak is that he didn't want her to leave, which was a ridiculous thought in itself but a panic set in when she made for the door with tears still in her eyes.

All these formed into the reason why he said that line.

Which is why Severus is still sitting in the arm chair, staring at where Hermione was sitting a few minutes ago, contemplating where his mind went and how to get it back.


Two hours later…

"Ah, mister Weasely," Professor Snape looked down at Ron as he stood in one of the many hallways of Hogwarts. Snape's tone of voice suggested that his happiness at seeing Ron was only to give him lasting harm. "Are you confused at what the curfew is?"

Ron looked down at the ground. "No."

"No, what?"

Ron glared at the ground. "No, sir."

Snape crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Well, then why are you out of the dorms then past the curfew you so obviously know about?"

Ron mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Snape leaned forward slightly.

"I have no reason," Ron glared up at Snape, "sir."

Snape leaned back up right. "That will be 50 points from Gryffindor then and a weeks worth of detention with Filch."

Ron sputtered. "WHAT! WHY!"

"Tsk, yelling at a professor, Weasely?" Snape's smirk grew. "That will be another 40 points and since you asked, I gave those detentions because you couldn't even muster up the brain power in that small head of your to have an excuse to be out this late."

Snape took two steps towards Ron and got right in front of his face.

"And that is just laziness on your part and since you now wasted more of my time; that will be another week on detention with Filch."

Ron's face started to turn a shade of red.

Is this what Hermione saw that night right before you hit her?

"Leave now Weasely and you better hope I don't catch you in a dark hallway again."

Ron walked quickly away.


Three days later….

Hermione walked into her room and dropped her bag on the ground with a thump. She had just gotten done taking two hour test for Transfiguration and then had to suffer through two hours of potions where Snape seemed to be in the most vindictive of moods, though luckily, she managed to avoid his anger; others weren't so lucky. Then she had spent the rest of her time in the library beginning her bases for the potions she would need to be making.

It had been a long day.

She walked over with the intention of dropping ungracefully onto the inviting couch when she noticed something colorful out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head towards the kitchen and on the kitchen island sat a bouquet of red roses.

And next to the roses sat a card with a coffee cup next to it.

Hermione recognized the hand writing on the front of the card instantly.


Happy reading :-)

The lyrics at the beginning were from a band called Glasvegas the song is Geraldin

Next Chapter: Ron speaks to Hermione, Hermione works with Snape, Harry speaks to Ginny, Harry speaks to Lupin (It's a lot of talking)

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