A/N: I know it's been a while since I have updated, but it took me a long while to get this chapter out. I hope you like it as much as I liked writing it. Please read and review! Much love- Bookworm
"Severus, how can you be so calm?" Hermione asked as they walked to the Ministry for their hearing. The Board had waited until almost February to call both of them in for hearing, and Hermione was obviously nervous. Severus, on the other hand, seemed extremely calm and collected as they reached the visitor's entrance into the Ministry.
"I've told you, it will be fine." He muttered, pulling her into a hug. "I promise you, it will be fine." He said, and she nodded into his shirt.
"I know… I know.." She whispered as they broke their embrace. "I'm glad Minerva will be there…" She said in a happy tone.
"Indeed." Severus said, nodding once. Hermione bit her lip, and they made their way together down into the Ministry in silence. They were met by a Board member, who led them to the courtroom that the hearing would be held in.
Hermione remembered the courtrooms from when they had broken into the Ministry, but they were different now that there weren't dementors hanging over them. She took a deep, calming, breath and reminded herself that everything would be fine. She had to keep reminding herself that she and Severus hadn't actually done anything wrong, that this inquiry was just going to solidify that. After what seemed like forever, the Board members pulled themselves together and started with the proceedings.
"We call this hearing to order." One said, nodding to the transcriber, who dipped her quill into a full bottle of ink. Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat just as her name was called.
"Miss Hermione Granger, will you please take the chair?" The official said, gesturing to the large iron chair in the middle of the room. Hermione stood and slowly walked to the chair, her hands clenched into fists to prevent them from shaking. She sat down, grateful that the chains didn't wrap around her like she supposed they would if she had been a criminal.
"Miss Granger, would you agree to take a potion that will indicate if you are telling the truth or lying?" The official asked, and Hermione eyed him suspiciously.
"Veritaserum?" She asked to clarify.
"No miss, just a potion that will place an aura around you. It will be green if you are truthful, and turn black if you lie." He elaborated, an she nodded.
"Then yes, I consent." She voiced nervously, watching the transcriber in the corner of her eye. Someone walked to her, a small vial in hand, and gave her a kind smile before handing her the glass. Hermione took it, and glanced back at Severus before she drank it in one gulp. Once again facing the Board, the questions began.
"When did you become an Apprentice to Severus Snape?" The officiator asked.
"We signed the contract in August, 1998." Hermione answered.
"Do you feel you received special treatment?"
"Not when it came to me being an apprentice. Well yes actually, only once. I had what muggles call a panic attack on Halloween. The students decided to decorate their arms in Dark Marks, and I had to leave the room. He allowed me that hour to pull myself together, but I was back in class the next hour." Hermione said, beginning to calm as each minute passed. She watched as someone leaned over and passed the officiator a paper, which he read before nodding.
"You say 'not when it came to you being an apprentice.' What do you mean by that?" He asked. Hermione glanced at Severus, who nodded his head.
"I have nightmares. About the war, about what happened to Harry, Ron, and I while we were out there. On occasion, I scream in my sleep. I mean that I maybe got special treatment just as a person from him. You have all met him, and I am fully aware how he is perceived. He always took care to make sure I was alright, and that my nightmares didn't trouble me." She elaborated, though she left out the part of him coming into her chambers to check on her.
"Thank you." The officiator said. "Now, when did you develop romantic feelings for Severus Snape?" He asked, and Hermione balked. She didn't actually know the exact answer to this question, she tried to think about it, but couldn't come up with an answer.
"Erm… I'm not really sure. I suppose it was right around the Christmas party after I became an apprentice." Hermione answered.
"And when, Miss Granger, did you make your feelings for Mister Snape known?" He asked her, and again she was unsure of the timeline. She wracked her brains, attempting to remember just when she had revealed her feelings for him.
"It was during the summer. I kissed him on the cheek the night he told me that I had gotten a job at Hogwarts. A while after that, I'm not exactly sure when, I used my serum to get rid of his Dark Mark. It was when we found out that Death Eaters had broken out of Azkaban. I used the serum, and it worked, and well.. I kissed him. That's… I suppose that's when I revealed that I had romantic feelings for him." She answered carefully, and they seemed to be satisfied with her response.
"Our last question for you, Miss Granger, have you ever received special treatment because of your relationship with Mister Snape?" He asked, and her mouth fell open at the allegation.
"Absolutely not." She replied.
They excused her from the seat, and Hermione was allowed to go back into the stands. They then called Severus down to the chair. She watched as he elegantly made his way down the stands and down to the uncomfortable chair. They asked him if he would take the same potion Hermione did, he shortly agreed and they began the questioning.
"Mister Snape, did you ever give Miss Granger special treatment?" The officiant asked.
"Yes, but not in a way that would have affected her career. As she stated before, I made sure that she felt safe, and I would assist her in dealing with her nightmares. I treated her as a friend rather than only a student. As you may recall, my last apprentice didn't last long and I changed my tactic on how I treated her." He answered, and Hermione watched his aura remain green.
"Why did you change your tactic with Miss Granger? Why not just treat her the same and see what happened?" He asked.
"Because I taught her. I know her drive, and I watched her talent grow immensely as I taught her. Her talent may surpass even my own. I know, that eventually, I will need a replacement and I feel that Miss Granger is the best I would find." He said, and Hermione felt her cheeks warm at his praise of her.
"Miss Granger mentioned that she was excused from a lesson, would you not consider that a special privilege?"
"No."
"Why not? Would you have done the same thing for a student?" The officiant asked.
"Given the recent events of the last few years, yes. I would have done the same for any student. These last few years have been taxing on the children of our world, and I would excuse a student from my class if I thought they would be unable to perform properly." Severus responded.
"When did you develop feelings for Miss Granger?" the officiant asked bluntly.
"I didn't realize it at first. I knew the smell of my amortentia had changed, though I didn't know at first what it had changed to. Eventually I did though, and I was actually speaking with Minerva when I realized it. I didn't… I didn't handle it well. I tried my hardest to fight what I felt, only confiding in Minerva." Severus answered, looking uncomfortable, but his aura remained green.
"Severus Snape, why did you fight your feelings?" The officiant asked, surprising everyone.
"Excuse me?" Severus asked.
"Why? Why did you fight your feelings?" He asked again, and Severus sat straighter in his chair.
"Because it was not appropriate." He answered bluntly.
"And how has that changed since then?"
"Frankly, we are both adults. Miss Granger is no longer my student, and therefor it's not inappropriate." Severus said, raising an eyebrow. There were a few whispers around the room, but the officiator held up his hand and silence quickly fell once more.
"Mister Snape, when did you make your feelings known to Miss Granger?"
"I suppose it was the morning after I found out about Rowle escaping Azkaban." He answered, the color of his aura unwavering. "Before you ask, that was also the day we decided to begin pursuing our… relationship." He offered up without prompting.
"Thank you Mister Snape. We would now like Headmistress McGonagall to testify." The officiator said, and Severus and Minerva switched so that she was in the chair. Compared to how Hermione imagined herself sitting in the chair, McGonagall looked regal as they began questioning her.
"Headmistress, in your opinion did Severus Snape give Hermione Granger any special treatment?" He asked, and Hermione struggled to not roll her eyes at the repeated question.
"No." She answered simply.
"No? That contradicts their testimonies." He stated, staring down at her over his glasses.
"You asked if I thought he had given her any special treatment, and my answer is no. I do not consider what he did for her to be special treatment, as I believe he would have done that for anyone that he cared for." She stated.
"Headmistress, are you implying that Severus Snape treated her the way he testified because he had romantic feelings for her?" The officiator asked. Minerva scoffed, making Hermione's eyes go wide.
"No. She saved his life. He was grateful for that, and felt indebted to her. He felt a responsibility for her safety." She explained.
"In your opinion, did Severus Snape agree to have her as an apprentice for the sole reason being that she saved his life?" The officiator asked.
"No. He taught her potions for five years, and Miss Granger has always shown remarkable talent. Though I do think that the fact she saved his life helped solidify her position, as she used potions and quick thinking to do so." Minevra answered.
"Does Hermione Granger have what it takes to be a Potions Master?" The officiator asked, making Hermione's heart beat hard against her chest.
"Without a doubt she does." The headmistress said immediately, making a small smile appear on Hermione's face.
"Does anyone have any more questions?" The officiator asked, looking at the other Masters in the room. Everyone shook their heads, and he nodded. "Very well. Let us deliberate for a moment. If you will please make your way into the hallway." He gestured to the door, and the three of them rose from their seats and exited the room silently. They all took a seat on the singular bench that sat in the hallway, and remained silent until Hermione had to ask.
"Why didn't they have you take the potion that Severus and I took?" She asked, leaning forward on the bench to see Minerva beside Severus.
"I met with them before and consented for them to give me Veritaserum. It's why they waited until last to have me testify, they were waiting for it to take effect." She said nonchalantly.
"Why would you do that?" Severus asked, his brow furrowing.
"I wanted to be sure that they knew I wasn't just trying to make you both sound good so I could keep you at Hogwarts." She answered, peering over her glasses at him. They were all silent for a moment, until a member of the Board exited the courtroom.
"We're ready for you." She said, holding the door open for them. They filed into the room, and stopped in the middle of the floor as instructed to receive the verdict.
"Severus Snape. We deliberated, and though some desired to strip you of your Master title, you truly never broke any rules. However, we feel that your actions were highly unethical. For this reason, we have decided that you will not be permitted to ever have another apprentice." The officiator said, making Hermione's mouth fall open in shock. She turned to look at Severus, who had raised his eyebrows.
"Is that all?" He asked. The officiator glanced around at the members of the Board before nodding.
"Yes, Master Snape. Thank you all for coming, you are excused." He said, standing and giving a nod to them before leading the Board out of the room.
"Are you sure you are alright?" Hermione asked as they sat in the lab, waiting for their potions for the hospital wing to finish simmering.
"Yes. I told you, I am fine with not having another apprentice." Severus told her again. "As I told you, I trained you to take over for me. I won't have to train anyone else." He stated.
"I just… this all happened because of me." Hermione said softly. Severus looked up at her from his cauldron, frowning.
"Don't blame yourself. It was both of us, we both made this decision." He said to her, and she shook her head.
"I kissed you. I basically forced you into this." She said, jumping a little as he stood suddenly. She watched him as he walked to her and pulled her to her feet before pulling her into an embrace.
"Tell me Hermione, do I seem like the kind of man who would allow himself to be forced into a romantic relationship?" He asked gently, making her laugh a little.
"Of course not." She said, wrapping her arms around him.
"I love you Hermione. You would be worth losing my job." He said to her, making her shake her head.
"Don't say that." She said to him, glaring. He let out a sigh and stared down into her eyes.
"You really don't think so?" He asked her. "Hermione… I would do anything for you." He said, and Hermione found herself unable to breath at the sincerity in his voice. Her mouth was open slightly, and it seemed that Severus didn't want to waste the moment, as he quickly ducked slightly and kissed her.
"Don't ever let yourself lose your job for me." She told him when they separated, and he rolled his eyes at her.
"Very well love." He said, kissing her forehead before walking back to his potion.
"That's all? He can't ever have another apprentice? Well that's nothing then. Seems to me like you're the only person he's ever liked anyway." Neville said to her when she told him about the hearing.
"That's not true, Severus and Minerva are close." She said, rolling her eyes at him.
"He never had to teach her though." He pointed out.
"Malfoy, then! He cares about Malfoy." She said, smiling.
"Does he count? Isn't Snape his godfather?" Neville asked.
"Yes." She mumbled. "But he didn't have to care about him." She defended. They stared at each other for a moment before they realized how absurd they sounded and began laughing.
"Malfoy is almost done with his house arrest, isn't he?" Neville asked when they had both calmed down.
"Erm, I think he is already actually. I think the first of the year was the last day." Hermione said, thinking back. "Severus had plans to go see him, but with the whole… inquiry… I don't think he ever did." She said, biting her lip in thought.
"Well… Maybe that could be a nice surprise for him? Get in contact with Malfoy and make a plan to go see him on the next free weekend. Quidditch is almost over, shouldn't be too hard to figure out. You just have to send an owl to Malfoy." Neville suggested. Hermione stared at him for a moment, before nodding slowly.
"That's not a terrible idea…" She said softly. "Although, I might have to start calling him by 'Draco' if I'm going to be taking Severus to visit him." She said, and Neville nodded in agreement.
"I'm sure if you walked around Malfoy Manor calling him 'Malfoy', it might get a bit confusing." Neville said before his eyes went wide. "Wait no… I'm sorry." He groaned. "Obviously you wouldn't go to Malfoy Manor. I'm so sorry." Neville said apologetically.
"Neville.. it's fine." Hermione said, placing a hand on his arm. "I won't be going to the Manor any time soon." She said, and he nodded.
"I'm sorry." He said again, and she shook her head.
"Neville, I promise everything is okay." She said, smiling widely at him.
"I haven't asked in a while, I feel like a bad friend. How have your nightmares been?" He asked her, tilting his head to the side.
"Honestly, they have mostly just been playing over that night that Rowle broke into Severus' house." She told him, and he nodded. "But, I haven't had one in a while. It's nice… I'm not dreaming, but I'm not having any nightmares either." She told him, but the glare she got in return was unexpected. She raised her eyebrows and kept her gaze even with his.
"Hermione… have you been taking dreamless sleep?" Neville asked.
"No. Neville, I know it's addictive. I haven't taken it in a few months actually. I just haven't been dreaming at all." She explained, and he nodded slowly. "Hand me that." She said, pointing to a small bottle next to him. He passed it to her, and she poured it into the cauldron in front of her.
"What are you making anyway?" He asked her, scrunching his nose at the smell that emitted from the substance.
"I'm trying to make something that would act like a protego charm. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement inquired to George about it, and he mentioned it in passing. I told him I would try to fix something up." Hermione said, glancing up at him.
"Why does it smell so bad?" Neville asked, and she bit her lip.
"Erm… I'm not sure." She admitted. "I charmed some Flobberworm Mucus with Protego, its properties allow charms to stick to it."
"Flobberworm Mucus? Hermione, that stuff is really reactive…" Neville said, peering over the side of the cauldron. "Hermione… that doesn't look so good…." He said slowly. Hermione bit her lip and pushed her hair away from her face.
"I don't know what went wrong…" She sighed, lifting her wand to vanish the mess in front of them. "Oh well." She said with a shrug. She flicked her wand, but instead of vanishing the potion, there was a loud bang.