A/N: Once again, thank you to everyone who continues to support this story and who are still enjoying reading this story. I am getting closer to the end of this story as there will only be a few more chapters left. I might leave room for a potential sequel for later on this year, depending on the direction of the final chapter. But for now, here is the latest chapter, enjoy!
A/N: Chapter Warnings – Potential mentions of sexual assault, bad language, violence and other sexual situations.
Chapter 46 – Apologies, Plotting Demise, and Easter Plans
"Severus?" Hermione asked gently as she let herself into his rooms.
She knew that she would need to take a cautious approach in how she acted around Severus at the moment. She did not know what kind of an emotional state her Severus would be in but she knew she would be patient with him, no matter what he said now.
She had read the note he had given her and it said to meet her in his rooms tonight, but she knew she wouldn't be able to wait that long. She had been extremely worried about him and if he was ready to talk to her later, then he sure as hell would be ready to talk to her now. She just wanted to know that he was alright.
Severus froze when she had entered and he turned towards her, he hadn't been expecting her quite so soon. His expression turned sheepish as he watched her take in the destroyed room. He had thrown quite the childish fit and destroyed all of his furniture. He had asked that she come later so that he would have time to put his rooms to rights before she came and saw how monstrous he could truly be. He felt ashamed that she had seen the aftermath of his rage; she was going to think of him as violent, and as someone who could not control his anger, and it was going to send her running for the hills. Severus tried not to look outwardly panicked as he watched her survey the damage.
Hermione could not believe the destruction that she was seeing, had Severus really been in this much of a bad state? She had given him space, but was that the right thing to do? Maybe he thought that she had chosen to support Harry over him, that's what Draco had suggested to her anyway. Of course, that was not the case, at the end of the day, Harry had been in the wrong and he should not have been going through Severus' private memories, Harry had certainly received an earful from her over the last few days. Harry had felt extremely bad about his behaviour and Hermione had no sympathy for him. He had made his own bed, he was going to have to lie in it and deal with the wrath of Severus when he decided to unleash his punishments.
Hermione approached Severus, who now had his head bowed and was looking down at the floor, and she gently placed a hand on his bicep and gave it a comforting squeeze.
"You've had me worried all week Severus" she said gently.
"I'm sorry" he replied quietly.
Hermione shook her head.
"Don't apologise, I just thought that you would appreciate the space, which is why I haven't been down here. Harry told me what happened, and exactly what he saw, and he told me how angry you were. I just thought you would like some time to yourself without me sticking my nose in" she admitted to him.
Severus snorted.
"I bet Potter is reaping in all the sympathy from his fellow Gryffindor's" Severus commented.
Hermione had an epiphany.
"That's why you've not been around much. I thought you were upset with me for not coming to see you. But you are worried that Harry went and told everyone about what he saw. Aren't you?" She asked him.
"Ever the know-it-all" Severus replied, without any malice.
Hermione grinned.
"I promise that he has told no one but me about what happened and that is how it will stay" she vowed.
"How can you be so sure?" Severus mumbled.
"After he told me what he did, I went mental at him and told him that if he liked his bollocks just as they are, then he will never breathe another word to anyone about what he saw" she smirked ruefully.
Severus grinned for the first time since she had stepped into the room; he liked the idea of Hermione ridding Potter of his own balls and forcing him to wear them as earrings. Severus chuckled, feeling relieved that none of his personal life had gotten out to the student body. Hermione had already known about what Potter had seen for quite a while and Severus trusted what Hermione had said, that Potter would keep his trap shut. It felt like the stress of the whole week, a huge weight, had been lifted from his shoulders.
He moved and hugged his Hermione fiercely, and she squeezed him back tightly. He had been so wound up over the last few days that he had not realised how much he had truly missed her presence in his rooms. It was almost like his rooms no longer felt like home unless she was there. God's! How soppy did he sound? It was that moment that he realised he was screwed, she had him completely wrapped around her fingers and there was no way that he would ever be able to let her go, unless she ordered him away from her side.
He kissed her on her cheek.
"Thank you" he mumbled into her skin.
She chuckled, glad that she had put his mind at ease about the whole thing.
"You're welcome, I'm sure you have something nasty planned for Harry as your own form of punishment. But, for now, maybe we should go about fixing your rooms. It looks like a tornado has swept through here" she said.
"I apologise that you had to see this, which is why I asked you to come later. I should have known that you would come down here as soon as I gave you the all clear to do so" he said to her, grinning.
Hermione shook her head and grinned along with him.
"We both know that there are worse ways in which one could take out their anger" she told him soberly.
Severus nodded in agreement and the pair set about to tidy up the place. It took them awhile to even know where to begin, and to even realise which piece of debris belonged to each piece of furniture. However, once they began, they soon found themselves getting through the destruction a lot more quickly.
After a bit of sorting, a few waves of a wand and some furniture rearrangement later, the two of them collapsed exhaustedly into the newly fixed chairs in Severus' lounge room.
"So, other than all of this, is everything else alright with you?" She asked him.
She had noticed that, before all the stuff with Harry had happened, her Severus seemed a little distracted and she had wanted to ask him about it but had forgotten about it completely. She knew that if it was something that he wanted her to know, then he would tell her when he was ready.
Severus hesitated, only for a second, but that was enough for Hermione to know that there were other demons playing on Severus' mind.
"Apparently so" she sighed, this man could never rest. There was always something to worry him and she hated seeing him stressed.
Severus sighed.
"Do you remember the last time you stayed here?" He asked her.
Hermione grimaced, not that she wanted to remember that particular incident, but alas she did. She nodded.
"Do you remember me telling you I had a meeting later on that afternoon?" He quickly moved on, understanding why she reacted like that to his question and cursing himself for being so tactless about the approach he had taken.
Again, she nodded.
"I set up a meeting with Rita Skeeter" Severus finally revealed.
Hermione did not know what to say, why the hell had he gone to see that bitchy bug?
"I wanted to ask her how she found out about the information she put in that article" he told her.
"I feel I'm not going to like what you're about to say" Hermione whispered.
Severus nodded, if he hadn't liked it, then she definitely wouldn't.
"She said that one of her reliable sources was someone that she is currently shagging, someone who has connections inside Azkaban. And-" he paused, he really wasn't sure what she was going to say or how she would react.
"And-?" She asked him, she desperately wanted to know and now she knew she wasn't going to like this if he had been hesitant to tell her.
"And Dumbledore" Severus muttered.
Hermione went silent.
After a moment she found her voice again and was able to formulate a response.
"I'm surprised, but why would I be? I should've known, and I should've even expected this. Do you have any idea why he would do this though?" She asked him, her voice was very meek and she looked disappointed again.
Severus went over to her and hugged her.
"I have a few theories" Severus told her.
She looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Before Dumbledore did his famous disappearing act, I was summoned to a Death Eater meeting. The Dark Lord was angry because he had been failing to get support, for his cause, from other magical beings. The Dark Lord has become erratic and extremely volatile and we think it's only a matter of time before he makes a mistake and reveals himself, in one way or another, to the rest of the wizarding world. We think the beginning of the war will begin very quickly after the ministry see that he is back" Severus said. He paused for a moment, taking in the horrified look on Hermione's face before he continued.
"Obviously, once the war starts, we will need everyone we can possibly get" he paused again.
"Including Sirius" Hermione whispered.
"Including Black" Severus begrudgingly agreed.
He continued.
"I believe that Dumbledore wanted the information about Black to be known so that it would gain him public sympathy. Enough public sympathy that, if there is to eventually be a trial for his crimes against you, then he can at least have a probationary period confined to his own home under the supervision of an Auror, probably Miss Tonks or Moody, so that Black can contribute towards the war effort, instead of being locked away awaiting trial" Severus informed her.
Hermione took in this information, it did make sense. If Sirius was to be trialled and kept in Azkaban, then he was useless, but if he could await trial confined to his own home, then he could contribute. Also, if Voldemort accidentally made a public appearance, then the ministry would need all the support that they could get. If a large portion of wizarding Britain was sceptical about the reliability of the ministry, then there would not be much support. If giving Sirius Black a little leeway was a good way to gain back a bit of public support, then there was absolutely no doubt that the ministry would do it.
"Ouch" Hermione said, she didn't know what else to say.
There was nothing she could do about it; it was all beyond her control. What will be, will be and that is all there was to it. Then, with all the confusion of war and the threat of Voldemort and the crimes of the Death Eaters, Sirius Black would be forgotten about and he would be free of accusations.
Hermione sighed as she relaxed into Severus' arms and placed her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry love" he said to her.
"It doesn't matter, all of this is trivial in comparison to the wider context of what is happening in the world" Hermione said.
"I don't care if it doesn't matter to the rest of the world. It matters to you, therefore it matters to me and believe me, I will NEVER again let that filth anywhere near you or let him get away with what he did to you. I swear, should he even come within a thousand feet if you, I will kill him, consequences be damned" Severus said, and he meant every word.
"But Severus, I don't want you to be sentenced for murder. I love you, and I want you by my side" she said lovingly, she was thankful for him but she liked him being with her, he would not go to prison because of her.
"But my dear, two can play at this game, if Albus bloody Dumbledore is relying on the confusion and the chaotic world of war to get what he wants, then I will claim that in the confusion of a chaotic world at war, there is always going to be accidental, or stray, spells, or people that accidentally get in the way. Either way, if we win, then they will accept that necessary sacrifices were made for the sake of victory and if we lose, the Dark Lord won't give a rats arse about a dead man" Severus grinned, although he was Hermione's Colonel Brandon, he was still a Slytherin underneath it all.
Hermione took a deep breath, in other words Severus was planning to cause Sirius Black much damage and make it seem like an accident. The terrifying thing was that, if anyone could pull that off, it would be Severus who would achieve that aim. Hermione relented.
"Alright, but only if there is war chaos, and only if he poses an immediate threat. However, for the time being, let him think he is winning" she told him.
"Are you referring to Black or Dumbledore?" Severus asked her.
"Both" she whispered in his ear huskily.
"Hmmm...bad girl" he growled back at her.
She giggled.
Severus was about to snog her senseless, when he thought about another matter of importance.
"Easter Holidays begin at the end of next week. Have you decided what you're going to do?" Severus asks her.
Hermione hesitated.
"I would be comfortable going to Grimmauld now that Sirius is not there but I would have to stay in another room, on a different floor, obviously. If that's not doable, then I will just stay here" she replied.
"What if there was a third option" Severus said.
Intrigued, Hermione looked at him curiously.
"Of course the Order is going to want to see you at some point to talk about everything but, what if I offered my home to you?" He asked her.
"As in, your actual house?" She asked amazed.
Severus nodded.
"That would be wonderful but I wouldn't be allowed though, would I?" She asked looking slightly dismayed.
"Not necessarily, Minerva is now your guardian, of sorts, it would require her consent but I think we could persuade her" Severus said.
Hermione grinned.
"That would be perfect Severus. We would have to spend a couple of days at headquarters but then we could retreat to sanctuary" she said.
"Also, the Dark Lord is travelling across the Easter break so; the chances of me being called away to meetings with him are slim. If the Order call a meeting then it won't matter, you can just come along with me and visit your friends. Alright then, I will ask Minerva about it tomorrow" he said to her.
She smiled, and the pair of them chatted for a little while longer before Hermione decided to head up to her dormitory before curfew.
.
.
.
The following day Severus found himself in front of Minerva's office. He knocked hesitantly, suddenly feeling like a schoolboy once more.
"Come in" the cheerful voice of Minerva responded from behind the closed door.
Severus entered and immediately cast a few spells to ensure that their conversation was entirely private.
"What's the matter Severus?" Minerva asked worriedly when she saw the young man enter her office.
"It concerns Miss Granger and where she will be staying during the Easter break" Severus began.
Minerva raised an eyebrow; she had a feeling she knew where this was going.
"Go on" she encouraged.
"I was wondering if I had your permission to take her to reside in my home, for the duration of the break. She doesn't want to stay hear alone with Umbridge and that squad of hers, and she does not really want to go the headquarters for obvious reasons. My home is safe, untraceable, and I will promise to protect her" Severus said quickly, clearly nervous.
Minerva smirked; it wasn't every day that you saw this man unnerved or ill at ease.
"But you only have the one useable bedroom at your home Severus. How would that work?" Minerva asked gleefully, she wanted to see him falter some more.
"She can have the bedroom, and I will take the sofa" Severus said, he could feel himself beginning to sweat at Minerva's stare.
"I will pretend to believe that Mr Snape" she said as she quirked her eyebrow once more.
She knew what was going on between the two by now; many portraits had reported to her about her favourite student and her late night wanderings down into the snake pit. It did not take a genius to put the pieces together, if you already knew enough.
Severus looked surprised at her comment.
"Don't play idle Severus, we both know what has been going on between the two of you for quite some time" she informed him.
Severus didn't even bother trying to lie; Minerva was like a dog with a bone. Actually, she was more like a cat with a ball of string. She wouldn't let go of it. Severus sighed.
"You haven't said anything-" Severus began, but he was cut off.
"If I thought that there was anything less than honourable going on behind those doors of yours, I would've stepped in before anything began. You are both good for each other, you challenge each other, you test one another's intellect, and you understand one another on a level that I have never seen before. So yes, Severus, you may take Hermione and just get her away from everything. Spend a couple of weeks in the muggle world; I will give you some funds for the pair of you to have some treats. I will inform Miss Granger of the situation" she informed him.
He was about to decline her offer of money but Minerva wasn't having any of it. She cancelled all the charms around her office, and dismissed him before anything else could be discussed. Severus realised he had been dismissed, and knew he wasn't going to win, so he begrudgingly accepted her offer and left her office.
Once he was back in his rooms, Severus suddenly felt extremely happy, nervous and excited, all in one. He was going to spend two weeks with his Hermione, and no one was going to be able to stop them from just being two normal people who were head over heels in love with one another.
