Chapter 8
Severus awoke with a pang of hurt in his heart as he felt the empty space beside him in his huge four poster bed. He missed Hermione. But his blood would slowly boil upon recalling the events at the hospital wing. He had proven her wrong, he was right all along. The Weasley boy fancied her and she acknowledged it. As much right as he had in claiming her, he couldn't jeopardize his work and her studies for such selfish reasons. Could he? No, he couldn't, he thought.
He propped himself up with an elbow and with the heel of his palm, rubbed the sleep off his eyes. It had been a week since he last saw Hermione. He sat in bed for a while and sighed as he reached for the drawer on his bedside table. Severus took out a picture and closed the drawer again. His bare chest was exposed as he leaned back on the headboard. He sighed again as he held the picture in one hand.
It was Hermione's picture at the last Quidditch match of the year; Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Her soft curly hair which she had bewitched was blowing wildly from the wind while she sought to control it with one hand, while the other hand waved at him, her smile as bright as ever. Severus smiled as he took in her attire. Despite the red and gold Gryffindor scarf, she was wearing a Slytherin green top and knew that she did it on purpose to show him that she somehow supported his house too.
He missed her. But she went too far this time.
Severus was quickly reaching for the drawer and stashed the picture inside when he heard a knock on the door. He bid his visitor to enter.
"Severus, breakfast is ready." Said a woman, who was smiling sweetly at him as she remained standing in the doorway.
"I'll be right down, Heather." He half-smiled back at her.
Once Severus was modestly dressed in his usual black trousers and white button up shirt, he went downstairs for breakfast, where the beautiful woman named Heather was waiting for him.
The heavenly aroma of pancakes and strawberries filled the air. Heather poured him a fresh cup of tea as he sat down at the head of the table.
"Good morning, Severus." Her sweet smile never leaving her face, her cheeks flushed due to the exposure of the sun from her morning walk.
"Good morning, Heather." He greeted back as he took the proffered tea. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did." Her smile grew brighter. "Although I must admit, I was rather worn out."
Severus only smirked at this.
"Are you nervous about the wedding?" he asked after a few seconds of silence passed between them.
"Honestly? Very much. I hope you don't take offense, but it's the day that I've been waiting for my whole life. I'm afraid that – that I'll…"
Severus put down his cup of tea and took her small hands in his and squeezed it in reassurance.
"It'll be fine, Heather. Don't worry." For the first time that morning, he smiled.
Seeing the look of confidence in his face, Heather nodded and resumed in her breakfast while Severus started piling pancakes in his plate. They ate in companionable silence for a moment until Heather spoke again.
"Do you think I'll fit in just fine at Hogwarts?" she asked, changing the subject.
Severus looked at her without pausing in his breakfast.
"I've been teaching at Hogwarts for almost two decades now. I know which ones would last and which ones wouldn't. I'm sure you'll be just fine. Besides, you'll have me there with you. I just have to warn you not to get too personal with the students."
Heather frowned. "What do you mean? Am I not allowed to socialize with my students?"
"That's not what I meant." Severus replied, wiping the side of his mouth with the table napkin. "Of course, you would be allowed to socialize with them, but do it in a manner where you won't jeopardize your position of authority over them. You must never let them forget that you are their teacher and that you are in control. If you ever let them too close, they'll see it as your weakness and take advantage of you." He leaned in closer and in his most stern Potions Master voice whispered. "Never let that happen."
After seeing the look of discomfort in Heather's face, Severus dropped his stern voice and relaxed a bit. He sliced off a portion from his half eaten pancake and added, "If anyone ever gives you any problems, please don't hesitate to send them to me."
"I will, but only if it's an emergency. I still want to handle things in my own way. After all, if I can't handle them, I shouldn't have decided to teach in the first place, right?." She chuckled, as did Severus. "But thank you, Severus. I'll keep that in mind. And by the way, I know for a fact that you know everyone in the castle. Is there anyone I should be looking out for?"
Severus contemplated for a moment as he ate. His mind went straight to the Golden Trio; Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Hermione.
His mind lingered for a bit on Hermione. He wondered what she could be doing right now. He hadn't heard from her since he left the castle, maybe she grew tired of him and probably made up her mind. He didn't realize his face crumpled in anger until Heather snapped him out of it.
"Severus, are you alright?"
"Yes." He sipped some tea and cleared his throat before continuing, "I should tell you, keep an eye on Gryffindors. Particularly three of them." He spat out the last sentence as if in disgust.
"By three you mean Harry Potter and his two best friends?" she chuckled slightly.
"Exactly."
"What can you tell me about them?"
"Nothing good, I assure you." He replied unenthusiastically.
"I'm listening."
Severus sighed. There was no way out of it. He started with the worst.
"Harry Potter." He drawled. "He'll be the most arrogant boy you'll ever meet. Always so sure of himself, strutting about the castle like he owns the place. Always has an aptitude for making trouble. As for Ronald Weasley," his nostrils flared upon mentioning the name of the read-headed boy. How he'd truly love to wring his neck right here and now. "A dunderheaded simpleton who knows nothing but Quidditch to fill his already empty head. He can't even brew a simple Sleeping Draught, not even if his life depended upon it!" he snarled.
Heather's expression remained calm as she watched Severus' face change from disgust to anger to pure rage and to her surprise, his expression softened now as he spoke of the last of the Golden Trio.
"Hermione Granger. She…is an absolute little know-it-all. Little Miss Perfect."
Though his words were meant to insult, Heather could sense the tone of affection in his voice.
"Always has an aptitude for learning. She's even more sure of herself than Potter ever was."
Heather's expression remained calm as she listened intently, but her curiosity was piqued somehow at his next words.
"I can't say I taught her much since she pretty much teaches herself everything. She'll come to class already equipped with the knowledge before you even teach the lesson to everyone."
Severus didn't realize he was already rambling, and Heather knew it. She knew that look in his eyes but was wondering why he had that sad smile in his eyes. She had known Severus for quite some time now and had never heard him give such a compliment as he did with Miss Hermione Granger.
"You seem determined in besmirching her name, but still you speak very highly of her. Have you grown fond of her, Severus?"
Severus looked at her with horror in his eyes. He had given himself away.
