Disclaimer: Much to my own personal disappointment, I did not write Harry Potter and I do not own Severus Snape. Would that I could.
Note: The alternate title of this chapter is 'Chapter Twelve: In which I made Tara wait longer than 24 hours for an update.'
It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive and you have the power to choose either.
Wayne Dyer
"Hermione, Severus here said he needed a word with you. Something about your research."
Shit.
Hermione wanted to sink into the ground and die quietly. Ron, on the other hand, didn't seem to share her mortification.
"Wait, you never said Snape works at St Mungo's too?" He blurted out, completely forgetting their current situation. Hermione couldn't tear her eyes away from her old potions professor as he glared disdainfully at the still kneeling Ron.
"No." The dour man sneered, his voice low and gravelly; a far cry from it's former silkiness. "I've not sunk that low yet."
Silence met this pronouncement, and Snape merely turned his head, looking Hermione dead in the eyes as he continued, face completely blank.
"I meant Miss Granger's personal research." He raised a challenging eyebrow at her look of horror. Hermione's mouth was dry and she tried desperately to swallow. She could practically feel Ron's scorching gaze and knew without a doubt that her young lover was about to explode. Spinning around she tried to grab onto his arms.
"Private research? What the bloody hell is he on about Mione." His voice still held the last strung out tenors of hope, as though Ron was still holding on to a vision of Hermione turning around, saying yes, denying her research and kissing everything better.
"Ron, look, it's just an article I wrote. It's- it's not important. I didn't want to bore you with it. Go inside and we'll talk later okay? Ron?" She couldn't help but hear the pathetic pleading that soaked through her voice. She just wanted some control over the situation. Why was everything falling to pieces?
It's no more than you deserve, Liar
"No I'm not bloody going inside. What article? So you've been shut up in that room all year, buried in books and avoiding me and for what? For what, Hermione? Not for work or our future or any god damned internship."
Ron's face had turned as blood red as his hair and his eyes were filled with hurt. He roughly shoved her hands away. To make matters worse this entire scene was being played out in front of Molly, who stared accusingly from her son to Hermione, while Snape looked on, largely ignored.
"Look Ron, I'm sorry but if you just calm down we can talk about this and-"
"No! I'm not calming the fuck down. You've made it clear enough. Even Thick old Ronald Weasley can work this one out."
"Ron please, don't do this, just let me explain."
"I'm not doing this Mione, you are, and there's no need to bloody explain. You'd rather face the dementors than marry me; rather huddle up with a load of books than me, it's clear enough. I know when I'm not wanted."
"Please Ron, listen, I-" She pleaded, before realising she was yelling to the empty air. Ron had disaperated with a sharp crack.
Hermione stood staring into the darkness where he'd stood just moments ago, while Mrs Weasley tacitly retreated to the house without saying a word. She was almost hyper aware of her ex-professor, the face of her many nightmares and one of her greatest failures standing stock-still, impassively watching her. For some inexplicable reason, Hermione refused to address him first. It was he who had brought this all upon her.
That's hardly true, you brought this on yourself Hermione.
His resonant voice finally pierced the charged night air.
"We both know why I'm here Granger, I want what's mine"
Hermione felt her cheeks blush incriminatingly, but she stayed silent.
"While your research was, admittedly ingenious-
Was Snape actually complimenting her?
- We both know you lack the capacity to have considered Distilment on your own merit."
Obviously not then.
"I must admit Granger, I should have never thought you capable of academic theft- nor such secrecy. It is a wonder you weren't sorted into my house after all."
Hermione finally turned to the sneering man and was flooded with more rage than she had ever experienced. How dare he? Nothing that had happened up until now had pushed her so far. The marriage law? Fine. Ron leaving? Manageable, but for him to accuse her of theft!
"You vile loathsome git! How dare you!" Hermione spluttered as her brain, flooded as it was with emotion, staggered to achieve some fragment of coherent thought.
"I mailed you for weeks! I sent you at least half a dozen letters asking for your input, your guidance and finally your bloody permission! I mailed you personally, I mailed your slot at hogsmeade, I physically handed Professor McGonagol a message to give to you! Don't you dare accuse me of theft! If you hadn't spent the year in voluntary excommunication you'd have heard of this months ago!"
Snape seemed genuinely taken aback by the witch's outburst. His face gave little away but for the widening of his eyes and the abandonment of his smirk. I did not just explode at Severus Snape. I am dead. Hermione took a deep, shuddering breath, waiting to be cursed, stunned or generally reprimanded. She watched as Snape quickly pulled himself together, and was shocked when he only raised an eyebrow derisively.
"Tonight has been quite the night for lies, Miss Granger, why add to it? Letters or not, I want my book back." His face was a carefully controlled mask but his eyes; she could all but feel his eyes glaring daggers at her.
Hermione was fuming.
"Here! Take it! Accio Prince's book! I don't need it anyway, I'm more than capable of conducting my own research!"
Well, mostly.
There was a dull thud from the second story, and then the screech of a rusty window opening before the textbook zoomed through the air towards the arguing pair. As it slowed to reach Hermione, Severus plucked it from the air, his eyes never leaving her face.
"And I want full acknowledgment on the patent rights." He sneered, the corners of his lips lifting in a snarl.
Hermione stared, gobsmacked.
Surely not: It wasn't possible.
How on earth could he not know?
Hermione had included him on the patent from the very beginning. The funds were probably sitting untouched in his vault as they spoke. For the first time in her life, Hermione Granger had made an utter fool out of the ever-intimidating Severus Snape.
Something within Hermione snapped then, no doubt having been stretched to breaking point after the long dramatic day. She did the unthinkable. Part of her knew she'd regret it, that it could come to no good; but she really couldn't help it.
Looking a glaring Professor Snape in the eye, Hermione burst out laughing.
It was part hysteria, and part shock, but she simply couldn't stop. Even as her shoulders shook, even as tears ran down her face and abdomen began to ache, Hermione fought to regain composure- Failing miserably.
Severus was not amused.
He had diverged from the plan. Seeing the girl plead to an ignorant youth so beneath her, seeing her humiliated and ostracised for her academic nature and refusal to waste her life away as a replica of Molly Weasley, well, it had stirred the last ounce of pity within him. An ounce which if he was truthful, he thought had left him long ago.
So he had ignored the many barbs and insults he could have thrown at her. He had refrained from twisting the knife in her side any further. He had tried to be brief, to be direct and make it as painless as possible.
Only to be laughed at.
Needless to say, that sole remaining ounce of Pity had been incinerated in a fiery burst of rage. He had forgotten, he'd allowed her maturity, as well as his own sentimentality to cloud the facts. She had stolen his research. Passed it off as her own, lied to her family and friends about it, probably more to cover up the shameful dead than anything. Then she had hurled insults at him, and worst of all, laughed.
No student, former or otherwise, had ever, ever laughed at him.
Tucking the tattered potions text into his robes without ever looking at it, Snape closed the gap between them, glaring furiously down at the still laughing witch.
"And just what, may I ask, is so very amusing? The sounds of your life falling apart? Your 'fiancé' walking out on you, the ire of your future Mother in Law? I was so surprised; I came here expecting to belittle a pride of lions; to turn them against their protected little cub. But it seems I didn't have to; you've done that all by yourself. Well-done Granger. Ever the know it all to spare her teachers work."
Severus looked down at the pale horrified face of Hermione Granger, but no pang of satisfaction followed. Still. She wasn't laughing now.
"You prick." Her face was bloodless as she attempted to rage back at him, but she evidently found nothing in the tank. He sneered down at her efforts; Defiant to the last it seemed.
"Language Miss Granger."
The witch only raised her chin, the action somewhat weakened by the tears trapped in the corners of her eyes.
"Get out. Talk to the ministry about the patent. Get out and take your bloody book with you." She managed to snarl back at him, before turning away angrily. Severus could sense that the witch was on the verge of tears, and had no desire to stay any longer. He had got what he wanted.
"Very well. Don't for a minute dream this is over Granger. I will get what's mine."
With a dramatic swirl of his robes, Severus apparated away, but not before he saw the girl drop to her knee's and lose control. Even as he stood alone in his sparse empty kitchen, the image remained as if burnt to his retinas.
So much for peace.
Note: I hope it lived up to the expectations, please review and let me know what you think :) Once again, sorry for the delay!
