Hello! So this is the start of the fluffy stuff disappearing. I really do love Ron and I feel so bad that I am doing this to him so I would like to all have a moment of silence for the splitting of one of the cutest pairings… ever. R.I.P. Ron and Hermione's Relationship. Please review!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
"Malum Verto!" Hermione called out, pointing her wand towards the vial that held liquid Arnica and transfigured it into a black smoking chemical.
"Well done," Snape murmured, folding his arms, watching her practice.
Hermione smiled up at him, pleased with her work. Professor McGonagall was an excellent teacher but she had never learned so much about Transfiguration from her in her years going to school as she did from Professor Snape in a little over a week. He truly was a master. He also was an excellent teacher, despite the insults, and had enough patience to make her practice all night if he wanted her to, which he had done the night before. Hermione had not gone to bed until after midnight with Snape breathing down her back about perfection with brewing ritualistic potions in the dark arts. Every thought and every action had to be precise and focused when performing the potion and it had been extremely draining on her. He had warned her that she would have a tough time and that she needed to concentrate but she didn't take him seriously and had passed out from the amount of dark magic being performed. Snape had been at her side in an instant and she had woke up being cradled in his arms and was fed small pieces of chocolate until he felt that she was able to continue.
He turned to the clock and sighed, "I believe our lessons are at an end, Miss Granger."
"You mean for the night?" she smiled knowingly, packing her things up and cleaning her station.
Snape shook his head, "No. This will be your last lesson from me."
Hermione stopped and set her belongings down and walked over to the stressed Potions teacher, "Sir?"
"You will be going to the Weasley's tomorrow." He leaned against his desk and watched her sternly.
"I thought I would be going on Sunday," she started, "That is the last day of the break—"
"Tomorrow, Miss Granger." He corrected her, "You will be going tomorrow, on Saturday."
"Are we going to resume the lessons once school is back in session?" she asked, deciding not to argue any further on the topic of going to the Burrow.
He looked at her with a foreign expression on his face that Hermione couldn't identify, "Off to dinner." Snape motioned for her to leave him but she stayed for just a moment longer,
"Professor? Will you see me off tomorrow?" She chewed on her lip, "I am rather nervous to do this and you are such a support to me…"
Their eyes met, "If you so wish," he sighed softly before turning his attention back to what he was doing as Hermione left to dinner. Snape watched her retreating figure exit the classroom and he collapsed into his chair.
He buried his face in his hands, bent over with his elbows bracing his weight on his knees. The week had gone by far too quickly and he had been unable to teach her everything he wanted to. She was a fast learner but all the information that he had to pack and cram into a week and a half should have taken years to perfect and study… but he did all he could do and now he was relying on Hermione to be able to fill in the blanks. She was off to the Burrow the next day and he shuddered at the thought that they possibly might not make it through until Monday. In fact, Snape knew they wouldn't survive past Sunday when he had to do what needed to be done. He let his chin rest atop his folded hands, still bent over in his chair, and moaned. Knowing that Hermione would no longer be in his arms in a day's time was killing him. Snape had been dreading for that day to come and he prayed, for the first time in his life to whatever force was out there, that Hermione would come out alive.
Hermione rolled around in her bed the next morning, enjoying the warmth and comfort that was surrounding her. She was so sleepy and tried to ignore the knocking on her door. Pulling the pillow atop her head to block out the noise, she groaned,
"Figgy just a few more minutes!" Hermione complained, wanting to relax in bed and take pleasure in the rest of her morning.
The constant knocking stopped and Hermione sighed, realizing the little elf had left, and she nestled back into the covers and pillows surrounding her. She smiled softly to herself, extremely comfortable, and quickly fell back into a slumber. Unbeknownst to her, the door had opened and a tall figure was standing in her doorway, watching her sleep. He rolled his eyes and cleared his throat,
"Get out of bed, now." He ordered in his low voice and waved his wand at the covers which were magically yanked off of her and she shuddered, jumping at the cold, still incoherent to what was going on around her,
"What?" she sighed, rubbing her eyes, and opened them to reveal Professor Snape standing in her doorway to her bedroom, seeming irritated. She bolted upright and pulled the sheets over her scantily clad self, "Professor!" she looked at him in horror.
"I have been knocking and knocking on your door, trying to be as kind as I could, only to be yelled at to go away as if I was a house elf… and you wonder why I am so aggravated. Get up Granger, now!" he spat out before turning to leave and slammed her front door that led to the hallway shut.
Hermione blushed, how long had Snape been standing there? She was in shorts and a tank top but she felt as if she were naked in front of him when he ripped the sheets off… leaving her extremely vulnerable. She should have known it was him at the door; Figgy was so much more fidgety and would have let himself in much sooner than Snape did. Hermione was the one who had asked the man to see her off in the morning; she just didn't know that that entailed him to wake her up at an awful hour in the early morning. She turned to the wall that held the clock and saw that it was a quarter to four. Hermione moaned, was he seriously waking her up that early to wander off to the Burrow in the freezing cold snow before the sun would even be up?
She heard another loud rap on the door followed by Snape's voice, "Granger, get up now!"
Wrinkling her nose in annoyance, she threw her legs over the side of her bed and hissed when her bare feet hit the freezing cold ground. She walked towards her bathroom and took a quick shower followed by fixing her hair in a simple French braid and throwing on some jeans, boots, and a thick sweater. It was too early for makeup, she decided, as she yawned and finally exited her room to find a light streaming through the hallway from the potions classroom door that was slightly ajar. She squinted as she was met with the light from opening the door that the candles were making, not used to the brilliancy on account of having gotten ready with barely any light to save her wretched eyes.
Snape saw Hermione shielding her eyes from the candles, "Rise and shine," he smirked sarcastically as she glared at him.
"Why in heaven's name do I have to be up so early, might I ask?" she sat down in Snape's chair and laid her head down on the desk.
"Don't tell me the insufferable know-it-all isn't a morning person." He scoffed at her, tending to the Polyjuice Potion for the Ministry.
Hermione picked her head up and moaned, "Don't tell me you get up this early on a regular basis."
Deciding the potion was sufficient enough to be left alone for the time being, he removed the glass stirring rod and put a lid on the cauldron, "Although I do pride myself on rising early quite often, I do not usually get up at this ungodly hour… but you are the exception," he turned to Hermione, "Minerva asked us if we would apparate instead of flooing this morning so we will be making a journey to Hogsmeade."
Her eyes were still heavy with sleep and she rested her chin in her hand that leaned against his desk, "Why can't we floo?"
"Apparently she is meeting a few Aurors this morning to discuss the extermination of the Inferi from the forest." He explained lazily before helping Hermione up out of her seat, "Might I have my cloak back? It is rather chilly out this morning."
She blushed and nodded before leading Snape out into the hallway and retrieved the heavy material from her room while he waited for her on the threshold. Hermione handed him his cloak while holding onto a winter robe for herself as well, tucked it underneath her arm, "Sorry Professor for keeping it, I—"
"Stop apologizing Granger," he sighed as he draped the cloak over his right arm and offered her his left, "I suggest a bit of breakfast before we depart."
Hermione nodded and let him escort her down the empty hallways into the Great Hall that was clear of all students and staff, "Thank you for waking up so early with me, Sir." She squeezed his arm affectionately as they took their normal seats at the head table.
"I would not have let you run off alone even if you had not asked me to see you go." He replied, matter-of-factly.
She smiled as she took a sip of her hot chocolate and served herself a warm pastry on her plate, "Well either way, I do appreciate it," Hermione took a bite and smiled at the sweetness, "You say you are a morning person… but why do you rarely show for breakfast?"
He sipped at his juice before replying, "I do not care for meals so early in the day. I find it rather nauseating."
"Well you are eating now." She chuckled.
"Only because we have a bit of a trip ahead of us," he corrected her before biting into a piece of toast.
Hermione finished her pastry and sighed, satisfied, "That was delicious."
"I am still at a loss for the amount of sweets you are able to consume. It is beyond any measure that I thought was physically possible." He smirked at the witch next to him who nudged him playfully with her elbow.
"Honestly, ask any girl and they will tell you that they would prefer sweets over any other food, it is perfectly normal, I assure you." She smiled as Snape looked at her incredulously,
"It is still unnatural," he shook his head before continuing, "I have never seen any female devour the sheer amount of pastries and chocolate that you do."
After they were finished, Hermione found herself in the bitter cold of the early morning. The sun had not yet risen but there was a soft blue glow that surrounded them, making way for the brighter rays of the day. With each step, Hermione's heart raced faster and faster. She was trying to give herself a mental pep-talk but found herself unable to even finish a full thought in her head because of her anxiety. She knew Snape could feel it too as she kept falling behind or running into things, not paying attention.
"Your lack of concentration worries me," he jeered at her, "If I did not know who you were, I probably would think you to be rather slow concerning your mental capabilities." He grabbed her by the arm, helping her up the hill they were trekking across.
She snapped once they were at the top and threw a pile of snow at him, truly frustrated by him, "You are not the one who has to break one your best friends' hearts! I would appreciate it if you could be a bit more considerate in my plight," she walked up to him, inches apart and growled, "I am rather nervous and your verbal abuse is not helping!"
Snape smirked, "My apprentice is finally growing a backbone," he put his hand underneath her chin and caressed her lower lip with his thumb. Hermione closed her eyes, enjoying the touch before realizing what he was doing,
She quickly met his gaze and furrowed her brow, "You are so annoying!" she laughed as she broke the contact and swatted his hand away, "You're a foul, wicked, and incorrigible man who takes advantage of his students!" she pouted as he raised an eyebrow,
"Come again? I wasn't the one drooling."
Hermione rolled her eyes as she ignored him and walked on, stomping as she went. She was happy to have him feel comfortable enough to finally tease and mess around with her but Hermione still could not get the heavy pressure on her heart to be lifted. Once they reached Hogsmeade and the sun was fully up in the sky, Snape led them past the Three Broomsticks,
"Hey… why aren't we stopping? We can floo there!" she pointed towards the pub that she had flooed from when she had stolen one of his memories from his office.
"That is rude to wake her up unannounced!" he complained, pulling her back towards him to follow his lead, "Since you are so nervous, I feel that having you disapparate would be quite imprudent. I alerted Aberforth Dumbledore at the Hog's Head that we would be coming to floo there."
Hermione jogged up to his side, "What will happen when I come back?"
They arrived at the old pub near the outskirts of the sleepy village, "You will be able to floo back to McGonagall's office by that time. I do not want you apparating under such stressful circumstances, do you understand?"
She turned to him, "I've done it so many times before—"
"For my sake," he growled at her, "I am asking you to floo."
Hermione nodded quietly as Snape opened the door for her and she scurried in, happy to finally be out of the cold. There was a warm fire going in the corner of the room in a small fireplace and the smell of coffee combined with the scent of the burning wood made her take a deep breath to enjoy the winter aromas and calm that filled the pub. A peace swept over her body for a few fleeting moments and she grabbed her Potion Master's hand for reassurance that everything would be alright. He turned to her in surprise but saw her stressed features and pulled her to him for an embrace. Hermione squeezed his torso and made a soft whine from her nervousness.
"Look at me," Snape ordered her softly and she obeyed him, "If you want to call this off then tell me now. I do not want to force you into anything you aren't absolutely sure about." Hermione frowned at his words before he continued, "Just know that at the end of the day, you will always have someone waiting for you. No matter what happens today," he led her towards the large fireplace near the bar but stopped her at the entrance of it and he whispered to her, running a hand through her hair, "I love you."
"Severus?" a call from the back came as Aberforth walked in to see the two of them staring at each other intently.
"Aberforth." He nodded to him before turning back to Hermione, "Are you sure about this?"
Hermione nodded, "We will have no peace until it is done."
Snape winced but tried to not let Hermione see. If she only knew that the only peace they would experience would be their past week… once she confronted Ron Weasley, their lives would never be the same. Tomorrow, they would be entering something completely nonsensical.
"Good luck." Aberforth called to her, leaning against the bar, watching the student and teacher.
Hermione nervously smiled in his direction before turning back to Snape. They were silent for a moment as they stared at each other and she bit her lip, not wanting to leave. She wrung her hands together as Snape remained quiet and she nervously looked from him to the floor and back before she heard a sigh from the man. She knew Aberforth was watching them and supposed that that was the reason for the Potions Master's hesitance to touch her or say anything but she didn't care. Hermione let out a cry of want and literally jumped into Snape's arms and wrapped her own around his neck, pulling him as close to her as she could. She was delighted to feel no hesitation for him once she was in his embrace because he wrapped her up firmly and securely. Burying her face in his hair she cried to him softly,
"I love you!"
Snape broke away from her slowly and rested his hands strongly on her shoulders, making sure she would look at him, "I will be waiting for your return," he sighed softly and pulled her back to him before whispering, barely audibly so that Aberforth could not hear, "I love you."
Hermione stepped back with a sad smile on her face as she walked into the large fireplace, keeping her eyes solely on the man in black. She grabbed some floo powder and called out the Weasley's house, The Burrow, before disappearing in a cloud of green smoke.
She clumsily landed on the dining room floor in a familiar, cozy atmosphere to find George and Ginny whispering to each other in a deep discussion until she dropped in.
"Hermione!" Ginny grinned and ran over to help her friend up, "I can't believe you're here! We have missed you so! Christmas was not the same without you."
She stood up and wiped the soot off of her jeans and cloak. Hermione gave a small smile before swallowing hard, "Um… I would like to see Ron…"
Ginny smirked, "Oh… it's like that, I see." She laughed, "Congratulations big sister! I always hoped that you two would tie the knot. The Golden Trio could never be split up."
Hermione sighed and faked another grin before George noticed how uncomfortable she was, "Come on, Gin, can't you see the poor girl wants to see her lover? Let her be."
Ginny glared at George before turning back to Hermione, "Ron is still asleep… as always but I am sure he won't mind if you woke him up."
Hermione nodded and quietly walked up the stairs as she tried to prep herself but could not bring any thoughts to her head. Her mind was blank except for the whisper that was repeating itself, I love you. She was happy to hear it but at that exact moment, it would have been nicer if she could think of something else… like something she could actually say. Taking a deep breath, Hermione knocked on the door and heard no response. She should have known he was out cold. Ron was such a heavy sleeper, so opposite of Professor Snape who was alert at any small noise or sound. She cracked open the door to see her red-headed friend passed out, still wearing the clothes he had on from the night before, for he was not in his usual sleep attire. His hair was a mess and he was snoring softly and Hermione smiled when she saw the bright red fuzz on his face, alerting her that he had failed to shave for quite a time.
She remembered when her heart would skip a beat to see him like that, to see him so peacefully sleeping and looking absolutely gorgeous. Hermione sat on the side of the bed and pushed his unkempt hair out of the way to reveal his almost blonde eyelashes that fluttered through his dreams. She smiled at the dried toothpaste on his lips that he had used previously and she guessed it was spearmint. He always smelled and tasted of spearmint toothpaste. His teeth were always perfectly white and his smile was always encouraging, foolish and absolutely breathtaking. Ron truly was a very handsome boy now aging into a man. His arms were strong and his heart was even stronger and his disposition was so very sweet and loving. Hermione laughed to herself at his laziness and inability to want to learn anything. She supposed it was how opposite they were that attracted her to him.
If she had not taken the apprenticeship, she knew she would still be wrapped around his finger and vice versa. Hermione almost regretted her situation of going back to Hogwarts… not that she regretted falling in love with her teacher, but that she would have to cause her best friend so much pain. She saw a photo of them together at school, laughing together with their arms wrapped around each other lovingly with Harry hanging off to the side in amusement. Now she understood what Snape had meant when he told her that he would not blame her for deciding to stop the relationship. Surely the friendship she had with Ron would be ruined because of the Potions Master and the way that she, herself, used him to help her teacher. Hermione was ready to back out at that moment, stop everything, and let the boy before her be happy with his proposal and the life that he wanted to have with her.
It was extremely unfair of her to think that, not only did she use Ron, but then she was thinking about leaving Snape cold and dry just because of her anxiety and selfishness. Hermione knew her feelings would not change for the Professor, no matter how awkward the relationship might have formed or came to be… no matter how odd their love might seem, she loved Severus Snape and she was doing more damage than not to be leading on Ron when he could be having a much happier life knowing that he could be with Lavender or someone else who really and truly worshipped him and loved him completely with no doubts and fears.
"'Mione?" Ron yawned and smiled when he caught sight of the girl before him.
"Oh Ronald!" She hugged him close. His arms felt so foreign around her. They were large and much warmer than she remembered. She shook herself, trying not to compare him to Snape. It was very unjust.
"What are you doing here?" he sat up and wiped a fugitive tear that escaped her caramel eyes, "Bloody hell, you're freezing!" he pulled her to him and rubbed her back gently, wrapping his warm blanket, although scratchy and old, around her.
Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder. It really was so nice to lean on a friend who had been there through thick and thin. The funny and the sad moments. The scary and the happy times.
"I missed you. Did you get my Christmas gift? I hope that ruddy bird didn't get lost again." Ron mused as he held Hermione's shaky form to his solid one.
She shook her head and gave a little laugh at Ron's joke about Errol, "I got it, the chocolates were lovely." she wiped another tear before wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and sobbed,
"I am so sorry…"
PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE?