Another Brick In The Wall
Severus awoke to a nose full of bushy hair and an armful of witch. She was still asleep, he noted, as was his arm that she lay on. Her chestnut brown hair was spread all over her pillow as she lay facing away from him. She smelled of warm witch, lavender and something jasmine scented. Something was swelling in his chest, an almost painful sensation, and with a start and some confusion he realised that he actually cared about her, and that it was those feelings that caused the constriction in his chest. He had been so angry yesterday, at Potter and at both Minerva and the wolf for being utterly useless, and had fought hard to keep his temper under control in order to manage the situation. He was relieved that Draco had found them, and that his godson had the good sense to call for him immediately. He needed to talk to Minerva regarding Potter but ultimately he felt that Hermione had made the right choice. The brat needed help and the wizarding world owed him more than to expel him and cast him out into the world all alone. If it was at all possible for Lily's son to be helped and rehabilitated, that was; after all it was the wizarding world's fault that the boy was messed up, what with the war and the Dark Lord and all that. If Potter didn't improve, however, his inner Slytherin side vowed to personally hunt down the messy-haired menace and shackle him in an outhouse somewhere as far from civilisation as possible, so that he couldn't hurt anyone else.
The tingling in his arm started getting worse and his full bladder insisted that he should try to disentangle himself. As gently as possible he dislodged the witch from his abused arm and pulled the covers tighter around her. He had slept exceptionally well with her in the bed despite her nightmare episode in the middle of the night. He padded off to the bathroom for a quick shower, detouring to pick up a set of clean clothes.
As he reentered his bedroom he saw her sitting up slowly, looking around the room. An enchanted window brought light in to the room since they were technically below the ground, and he had spelled it to show the view across the lawn and lake.
"Good morning," she yawned, smiling when she saw him. She looked rather adorable, messy hair and flannel pyjamas aside. He could get used to this, waking up next to her. Spending time with her. Arguing Potions theories with her.
"Indeed." He felt a smile forming in response to hers. "I'll ask the house-elves for breakfast as we seem to have slept in."
He left her alone to get dressed and walked into his sitting room to sort out just that.
When Hermione joined him, dressed in a green jumper over faded Muggle jeans, Winky had already provided a lavish breakfast for them at his dining table and he was buttering a crumpet. There was a large pot of tea held under a stasis charm to stay hot, toast, crumpets, scones, boiled eggs, some cheese and several types of jam and marmalade. The whole selection would probably have satisfied four hungry Quidditch-playing wizards, or at least eight witches of Hermione's size.
"Did Winky bring this?" she asked him, reaching for a slice of toast. He poured her some tea and nodded in response, mouth full of crumpet with rich cheddar. "Did you know she wants you to take her in?" Hermione looked at him across her teacup.
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Really? Good to know, I had assumed she enjoyed being here at Hogwarts."
"I thought she'd be happy now that she is free," Hermione said with a frown. She finished off her toast and reached for a boiled egg and the salt.
"Haven't you given up on your crusade yet? Did you ever ask the elves what they want?" He finished his cup of tea and poured another one.
She frowned at him over her egg which looked to be cooked to perfection, with a creamy yolk but not too runny. "Surely no one wants to be enslaved? For the record, yes I have given up. I won't try to free them. I just don't understand it?"
He considered her position and how she must have first come into contact with the house elves. For a Muggle-born, they must be one of the strangest parts of wizarding society. Subservient and totally reliant on their masters, yet undeniably bossy in very subtle ways. He reached for the scones next and started preparing one with clotted cream and strawberry jam, deciding that he might as well take advantage of the lavish breakfast.
"An elf without a Master is essentially ostracised. They are cut off not only from their humans but also from the house-elf community. All elves that belong to the same clan can talk to each other even if they are not physically near one another, but a Freed elf only hears himself. Imagine how that would feel, being cast away not only from your workplace and home but also being cut off from all your friends and relatives, no longer able to communicate with them at all. Dobby and Winky are sort of half accepted by Hogwarts but I doubt they are able to access the full elf network since they have no masters, which is partly by choice as they chose to not bond with Hogwarts."
She looked up, wide eyed. "Oh, that's horrible! Truly I didn't know that. I should have checked …"
He nodded. "Yes indeed, although little is published about elves. You could have asked them, however."
"I'm sorry." She was worrying her lower lip again and looked away with a frown.
"No matter, you have learned, right? By the way, have you discussed your future plans yet with Septima? Since you professed an interest in Arithmancy. More tea?" He raised an eyebrow at her and poured her another cup.
Hermione shook her head. "I haven't yet, I have focused on getting organised for the NEWTs and merely getting through the classes."
"In that case, I shall arrange a meeting with her and yourself later today, I doubt she is awake yet."
"Really?" Hermione stifled a giggle.
"Yes, have you failed to notice that your classes with her are always in the afternoon? She keeps similar hours to Aurora so she is usually not seen until lunch."
He followed her back to her dorm despite her protests that she did indeed know the way. Until he was absolutely certain that Potter was not in the castle anymore he refused to leave her alone. They swept through the hallways in silence, Hermione almost running to keep up with his long impatient Professor Snape stride. Draco and Ginny were in, and apparently Ginny had been briefed already about what had happened. Severus requested that both of them would look after Miss Granger, ensuring that she ate properly and didn't study all the time. They agreed despite Hermione's protests, and Ginny's barrage of questions started before Severus had even closed the door behind him, heading off to see Minerva. She must have been in a good mood lately since the password was Springbank which in his opinion hardly even counted as Scottish, although the whisky was good of course.
"There you are, Severus! I tried Flooing you but it was blocked."
Minerva was seated at her desk which was littered by the towering mountains of parchment that seemed to come with the office. He had long suspected that Albus had managed much of the paperwork by accidentally-on-purpose leaving it near Fawkes when the bird was approaching a burning day.
"Oh, was it? How odd. Whyever would I have done that? What is the current emergency?" He raised an eyebrow at her and walked over to the window, enjoying the view it provided of the castle and its surroundings. It was cloudy and fairly windy, very much an autumn day. Most of the leaves on the trees had shifted colour, giving the forest that could be seen in the distance a rusty appearance. He had always enjoyed autumn, the crisp air, the colours, a time for reflection and introspection.
She glared at him. "Alastor will be here shortly to take Mr Potter away."
He whirled around to face her. "You actually want me to be in the same room as Mad-Eye Moody?" he asked incredulously. The man had been a complete nightmare during Order meetings, always distrustful of Severus' loyalties and vocal about it.
Before she could explain her reasoning her Floo flared to life and the grizzled ex-Auror in question tumbled out of the fireplace. He looked as scruffy as always in a worn brown leather coat and muddy boots, tracking in dirt on the Headmistress' floor.
"Hello, Minerva. Severus."
Severus nodded at him warily while Minerva fussed and asked if he wanted some tea which he declined. His magical eye whirred around and checked out the whole office, clearly noticing the way Albus was fake snoring in his portrait. He took a seat across from Minerva while Severus remained by the large window.
"I got your owl and must say I'm a bit confused, Minerva. Harry Potter has had a breakdown and needs a babysitter, and you think of me?"
Severus smirked at his choice of words and waited to see how Minerva would explain it all.
"He has been suffering after the War, Alastor. Last night he assaulted a fellow student and he's since been watched by Remus as he may be a risk to both himself and others."
"Details, Minerva, if I'm to help you with this I need to know what I'm dealing with," the ex-Auror said impatiently.
Minerva fidgeted with her own teacup. "Mr Malfoy raised the alarm and summoned Severus, Remus and myself. Could you tell Alastor the details please, Severus?"
He sighed and complied. "Very well, Minerva, if you cannot stomach the details I shall, as usual. Late last night I got a Floo call from Mr Malfoy that I needed to urgently come to the Head students' quarters. As you may recall, he and Miss Granger are Head students this year and thus share a common room. When I exited the Floo I saw Mr Potter in a Full Body Bind in the corner of the room, and Miss Granger was seated on the couch, crying and covered by a blanket but not much else. Mr Malfoy informed me that he had thrown Mr Potter off Miss Granger just before said Mr Potter managed to rape her, and that he then had covered her with said blanket. I told him to call for Remus as the Gryffindor Head of House, and for Minerva as the Headmistress."
"Harry raping his friend? Outrageous!" Moody interjected. "Did you confirm it?"
Severus frowned at him, annoyed with the implied distrust of Draco. He kept talking as if the interruption hadn't happened.
"I then asked Miss Granger if she wanted to talk about it, or if she would rather share the memories in a Pensieve or by Legilimency. She chose the latter, and I saw the attack in her mind. Potter appeared to be drunk and had come to her to apologise for being a worthless loser and she consoled him before he attacked her. He managed to get almost all her clothes off and was just about to finish the deed when Draco intervened. Potter had bound her hands magically and backhanded her across her face, hard enough to split her lip, when she protested and tried to get away from him. It was also rather clear from their discussion prior to the assault that Potter seems to blame himself for the war, for his friend's death and for the alienation of himself to Miss Weasley and Miss Granger, and he did say that he thought it would all be better if he were to disappear and that he should not be alive."
Alastor nodded, frowning. "I can see why you need to get him away from here for a while, Minerva. Do you know what had happened between Harry and Ginny?"
Minerva shook her head. "All I know is that they aren't seen together anymore, Alastor."
Severus spoke up again. "Apparently they broke up because Miss Weasley found Mr Potter in bed with another witch. Rumour has it he has since moved on to other witches." He had heard some from the Slytherins and Draco, some from Hermione.
Minerva looked appalled at the loose morals displayed by her favourite Gryffindor wizard. Moody, on the other hand, didn't appear surprised and merely nodded.
"Thank you for the information, Severus. Alright, I will take the lad in for a while, perhaps until Christmas. He won't get away with using alcohol and witches as a way of dulling the pain of the war, and I will keep him plenty busy. Minerva, you will ensure that he has coursework sent over?"
"Certainly. Furthermore, I will come by regularly to give him Animagus lessons if he is willing. That should give him something to set his mind to. Thank you ever so much, Alastor."
Moody looked surprised. "An Animagus? Interesting idea. Right. Is Remus fetching him?"
Minerva nodded and began to move towards the Floo to call him.
"I will take my leave, Minerva. I have no desire to say farewell to Potter. Good luck, Alastor." Severus would probably strangle the little brat if he had to see him again anytime soon.
"Thank you, Severus," Minerva said. He nodded at them both and left the office.
~x~x~x~
Saturday afternoon saw him seated in his office chair, correcting some third-year Ravenclaw Potions essays. Despite the constant astonishment he felt at their guesswork and creative attempts at spelling, he nonetheless could correct them on autopilot while his thoughts whirred in other directions, such as towards the imminent meeting. Septima had agreed to come down after a quick discussion during their lunch, well his lunch and her breakfast, and he'd sent a note to Hermione. If his inner clock was correct she should enter in just a few minutes. He shook his head, trying to finish off the last few essays in the pile while his thoughts kept returning back to the situation at hand. Was he doing the right thing or just being a selfish bastard, wanting her for himself? Well, of course I want her for myself, his inner Slytherin whispered. He knew what he wanted, but would it be right for him to try to get it or should he set her free? She didn't have much experience, after all, and might find a nice young wizard once she got out in the real world. Could he cope with the situation if that happened, if she met someone?
"Enter," he called at the sound of knocking on his office door, and she slipped in and seated herself across from him in her usual chair.
"Good evening," she murmured and nibbled her lower lip. She had changed clothes and appeared to have showered, at least.
"How are you?"
"Alright, I guess. Ginny and Luna have kept me busy all day."
She shuffled in her chair, clearly not understanding quite why he had asked her to show up in this semi-formal setting. He too felt unexpectedly nervous over how she would react.
Taking a deep breath, he began. "The reason I asked you here is because I would like to make an offer to you, together with another Professor here who will join us shortly. You expressed an interest in both Potions and Arithmancy?"
She nodded and her eyes had started to light up again.
"I should like to offer you an Apprenticeship in Potions, and if you are amenable, you may also apprentice in Arithmancy under Septima Vector. You would be able to begin the Potions part as soon as you have passed the NEWTs, and the Arithmancy part in accordance with your agreement with Septima. An Apprenticeship normally stretches for three years, but if you want to gain a Mastery in both subjects we expect that you will need four to five years. Normally I would say five but you may very well manage it faster."
She was nearly bursting with excitement and if her large grin was anything to go by she would probably accept, although he was a bit confused by the few tears that had escaped.
"Yes! Yes oh yes I want to!"
"Oh really? I couldn't tell." He couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from rising either. "Should I take that as a yes to the dual part as well, then?"
"Very emphatically, sir, it's more than I have ever dreamt of!"
"Very well, and please do call me Severus in private, remember? Septima should be here shortly to confirm her part of this. I assume you have questions. Please bear in mind that I have never before taken in an apprentice although having been one myself I am familiar with the system, and there are Apprenticeship contracts available from the Potions Guild to use as a template. Since I am planning on leaving Hogwarts after the end of this school year, you will be expected to follow to my new location wherever that turns out to be as Arithmancy is rather more portable than Potions. Typically, a Master provides room and board for his apprentice, as well as a small stipend for living expenses and any equipment, books and ingredients needed for the research."
She looked at him wide eyed. "That's more than I expected, I don't know what to say! Thank you ever so much!"
A knock at the door was followed by Septima who entered and greeted both of them.
"I see you have accepted, then?" she said to Hermione. "Good! We have some time to iron out the details and will register an Apprentice contract at the Ministry once you have passed your NEWT in Potions."
The Seventh-year Arithmancy NEWT students were supposed to do an independent project in their final year, and it was agreed that they would tweak it a little so that Hermione could use it in her Apprenticeship as well. The first two years would be spent on learning methods and approaches with a small portion of her own research, while the latter half would be more strongly focused on personal research.
"I must take my leave, I have rounds this evening. See you in class, Miss Granger. Good evening, Severus." Septima swept out of the room with a brief smile at each of them.
Hermione was still looking a bit stunned and had started chewing her lower lip again.
"What about Draco?" she eventually asked.
He raised an eyebrow again. "What of him? An apprenticeship is not the right option for him. He will do all he can to try to help his mother, however."
"I just don't want him to get mad at me for it."
"Never you mind that. He will understand."
She rose to leave and he followed her to the door. Before opening it she turned to face him again, brown eyes looking up at his. "Severus, I just want to be sure …"
"Yes?"
"Do you want this?" She was nibbling her lower lip again. That's my job, his inner possessive side complained.
He was itching to kiss her again. She was close enough for him to smell her jasmine shampoo.
"More than anything, Hermione," he finally managed to say.
She smiled at him, some tension leaving her posture. "Good, so do I."
Before he could say anything she had taken a quick step towards him and threw her arms around him, catching him in a fierce but brief hug. "Thank you ever so much, Severus," she murmured indistinctly against his teaching robes. She kissed him on the cheek, spun around and was out of the door before he had managed to process what was happening.
