Chapter Six
Hermione was surprised to hear the news of Professor Gracewell and Snape being "involved" with one-another. The thought of her kissing that sleaze ball was bad enough, but now she had heard rumors of them.well.going at it on Snape's desk. "I'll never be able to look at either of them properly again, or Snape's desk for that matter. I'll just die if he calls me to the front of the room." Hermione remarked to Harry and Ron in the common room.
"I think Ron's taking this the worst," replied Harry with a large grin. Hermione turned her head away so as to hide her smile, and covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.
"Oh shut it you two. I didn't actually have feelings for her. I mean, like you said Hermione, she would never go out with a student. She would, however go out with a twisted old bat." Ron said, trying to conceal his glumness, but was unsuccessful. It wasn't the fact that she hadn't chosen Ron, since he never expected her to, but the fact that she had chosen Snape really got to him for some reason. With an abrupt change of subject, Ron suddenly added, "Harry, who's that girl I've seen you with lately? You seem.close." Ron was happy to transfer the embarrassment from himself to Harry.
"Who do you mean?" Harry said unconvincingly.
Hermione was completely blown away. She always just assumed that he and her would.. well she didn't exactly know, but it was still something that she just assumed would happen. I guess I was wrong, she thought. "I'm going to go to bed," Hermione said suddenly. She decided it would be better for her not to hear all about some snitty priss that Harry's been snogging behind their backs.
"No, Hermione! It's so early. Come on!" They replied pleadingly.
"Sorry, but I'm really tired. I'll see you guys in the morning." She said as she arose from her seat and carried Crookshanks up to the girls' dormitories.
Hermione reached the dormitories and collapsed on her bed. She could not believe what she had just heard. How could she have been so stupid? Then, without warning, she felt the most horrible, painful and piercing loneliness she had ever felt in her life.
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Consuela released her grasp on Severus' collar. They slowly parted lips and separated their bodies as they became aware of what had just taken place. They stared at each other for several moments, then to break the steadily growing silence and unease, Severus said, "Are you ready to leave now?" Consuela, who was expecting him to say something at least somewhat romantic or nice, was completely flabbergasted. She was the one that was hurt this time, but she wasn't sure how to deal with situation. She decided that right now, her priority was the Order and that she should forget this for the time being. "Yes, let's go." She replied, her voice betraying her slightly with tiny squeaks.
The meeting was more than she expected. Everyone seemed to friends with each other and the atmosphere was more welcoming than she ever could have expected. Truthfully, she hadn't expected friendliness at all. She had expected a shadowed, dank, cave for a meeting place, with a bunch of hidden faces staring at her from behind masks, requesting that she perform some sort of initiation test. She hadn't realized that she was imagining something close to what transpired at Death-Eater gatherings.
The meeting itself went well and she was immediately accepted into the 'family'. She particularly felt a liking for Tonks, who was wonderfully pleasant and entertaining. She had a feeling that the two would become close friends, as they had hit if off right away. Snape however, had not spoken to her all night. She was more hurt than she was letting even herself believe.
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The next day did not go at all how Consuela would have liked. At breakfast, Snape had run into a long lecture about how she had not returned his things promptly and that she probably had not taken proper care of them anyway. Then at, lunch, Snape had not even shown up. Consuela had returned his things after lunch but he had not been in his classroom as she had hoped. Dinner was much as she would have expected; Snape had said nothing to her for the entire meal.
Snape was not certain what it was that had driven him to act like this. He thought it might have something to do with the fact that the same thing had happened before only this time their roles were reversed and she expected him to accept this. She could not just play with him idly like a doll. His thoughts had wandered over the concept that maybe he was just afraid of falling in love with her, but he had immediately dismissed the idea. This was her fault, not his!
"Stubborn bastard!" Consuela cried in her room. Why was he acting like such a child? Hadn't she offered the exact thing that he had wanted? "I guess he changed his mind," she thought aloud. This thought enraged Consuela and also, deep down, hurt her extremely.
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Over the next two months, things transpired in much the same way, except that Snape had begun referring to Consuela as Ms. Gracewell (something that Consuela had not taken lightly). Snape and Consuela barely said anything to each other. They had each hoped that things would improve, especially since this 'fight' had gone on even before their more recent kiss. Neither had the power to apologize first, so things stayed the same way.
"The winter "Frost" dance is coming up soon." Tonks said nonchalantly to Consuela.
"Don't remind me." Consuela groaned.
"Why? I know! You could take Remus. He'd love to go with you. I think he's had his eye on you since your fist meeting."
Consuela wasn't sure what to say to that. She didn't want to reveal her feelings about Snape to Tonks and therefore sat in thought for several moments before Tonks said, "Okay, I get it. You want someone else to take you. Hmmm, who could the lucky wizard be? Oh, sod it. Just tell me will you?"
"I suppose it won't hurt now. It's.don't laugh or anything okay?" Seeing a nod from Tonks she continued, "Snape."
"WHAT?! But you guys HATE each other! Everybody can see that," Tonks blurted out without thinking.
Consuela immediately burst into tears. "I know!" She sobbed. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I think I really like him. Maybe even." at this point she broke into continuous sobs.
"Oh I'm sorry Connie. You know I didn't mean it. Listen, it'll be okay. I know what we can do. We'll dress you up all nice, and then Snape will see you at the dance, and," she made an obscene gesture which indicated that she wanted her and Snape to become 'intimate'. "I swear this'll work!"
"I don't know.Do you really think that'll work? He doesn't really seem the type to fall for looks," Consuela said doubtfully.
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"Oh Merlin, she is sexy. I would've been fine if she hadn't kissed me like that, oh gods that was amazing. If she could kiss like that, I wonder how." Snape said, as he thought out loud.
He was having a lot of trouble concentrating on his work and would probably have to make Lupin another vile of Wolfsbane. Snape didn't seem to mind though, his thoughts continued in much the same way for the remainder of the night. It had been happening a lot lately and he had stopped fighting it. He had not however, stopped fighting with her. He wished things had gone differently. It had gone on like this for so long now, that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to fix it. His only hope was the winter dance.
Hermione was surprised to hear the news of Professor Gracewell and Snape being "involved" with one-another. The thought of her kissing that sleaze ball was bad enough, but now she had heard rumors of them.well.going at it on Snape's desk. "I'll never be able to look at either of them properly again, or Snape's desk for that matter. I'll just die if he calls me to the front of the room." Hermione remarked to Harry and Ron in the common room.
"I think Ron's taking this the worst," replied Harry with a large grin. Hermione turned her head away so as to hide her smile, and covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.
"Oh shut it you two. I didn't actually have feelings for her. I mean, like you said Hermione, she would never go out with a student. She would, however go out with a twisted old bat." Ron said, trying to conceal his glumness, but was unsuccessful. It wasn't the fact that she hadn't chosen Ron, since he never expected her to, but the fact that she had chosen Snape really got to him for some reason. With an abrupt change of subject, Ron suddenly added, "Harry, who's that girl I've seen you with lately? You seem.close." Ron was happy to transfer the embarrassment from himself to Harry.
"Who do you mean?" Harry said unconvincingly.
Hermione was completely blown away. She always just assumed that he and her would.. well she didn't exactly know, but it was still something that she just assumed would happen. I guess I was wrong, she thought. "I'm going to go to bed," Hermione said suddenly. She decided it would be better for her not to hear all about some snitty priss that Harry's been snogging behind their backs.
"No, Hermione! It's so early. Come on!" They replied pleadingly.
"Sorry, but I'm really tired. I'll see you guys in the morning." She said as she arose from her seat and carried Crookshanks up to the girls' dormitories.
Hermione reached the dormitories and collapsed on her bed. She could not believe what she had just heard. How could she have been so stupid? Then, without warning, she felt the most horrible, painful and piercing loneliness she had ever felt in her life.
--------
Consuela released her grasp on Severus' collar. They slowly parted lips and separated their bodies as they became aware of what had just taken place. They stared at each other for several moments, then to break the steadily growing silence and unease, Severus said, "Are you ready to leave now?" Consuela, who was expecting him to say something at least somewhat romantic or nice, was completely flabbergasted. She was the one that was hurt this time, but she wasn't sure how to deal with situation. She decided that right now, her priority was the Order and that she should forget this for the time being. "Yes, let's go." She replied, her voice betraying her slightly with tiny squeaks.
The meeting was more than she expected. Everyone seemed to friends with each other and the atmosphere was more welcoming than she ever could have expected. Truthfully, she hadn't expected friendliness at all. She had expected a shadowed, dank, cave for a meeting place, with a bunch of hidden faces staring at her from behind masks, requesting that she perform some sort of initiation test. She hadn't realized that she was imagining something close to what transpired at Death-Eater gatherings.
The meeting itself went well and she was immediately accepted into the 'family'. She particularly felt a liking for Tonks, who was wonderfully pleasant and entertaining. She had a feeling that the two would become close friends, as they had hit if off right away. Snape however, had not spoken to her all night. She was more hurt than she was letting even herself believe.
----------
The next day did not go at all how Consuela would have liked. At breakfast, Snape had run into a long lecture about how she had not returned his things promptly and that she probably had not taken proper care of them anyway. Then at, lunch, Snape had not even shown up. Consuela had returned his things after lunch but he had not been in his classroom as she had hoped. Dinner was much as she would have expected; Snape had said nothing to her for the entire meal.
Snape was not certain what it was that had driven him to act like this. He thought it might have something to do with the fact that the same thing had happened before only this time their roles were reversed and she expected him to accept this. She could not just play with him idly like a doll. His thoughts had wandered over the concept that maybe he was just afraid of falling in love with her, but he had immediately dismissed the idea. This was her fault, not his!
"Stubborn bastard!" Consuela cried in her room. Why was he acting like such a child? Hadn't she offered the exact thing that he had wanted? "I guess he changed his mind," she thought aloud. This thought enraged Consuela and also, deep down, hurt her extremely.
-----------
Over the next two months, things transpired in much the same way, except that Snape had begun referring to Consuela as Ms. Gracewell (something that Consuela had not taken lightly). Snape and Consuela barely said anything to each other. They had each hoped that things would improve, especially since this 'fight' had gone on even before their more recent kiss. Neither had the power to apologize first, so things stayed the same way.
"The winter "Frost" dance is coming up soon." Tonks said nonchalantly to Consuela.
"Don't remind me." Consuela groaned.
"Why? I know! You could take Remus. He'd love to go with you. I think he's had his eye on you since your fist meeting."
Consuela wasn't sure what to say to that. She didn't want to reveal her feelings about Snape to Tonks and therefore sat in thought for several moments before Tonks said, "Okay, I get it. You want someone else to take you. Hmmm, who could the lucky wizard be? Oh, sod it. Just tell me will you?"
"I suppose it won't hurt now. It's.don't laugh or anything okay?" Seeing a nod from Tonks she continued, "Snape."
"WHAT?! But you guys HATE each other! Everybody can see that," Tonks blurted out without thinking.
Consuela immediately burst into tears. "I know!" She sobbed. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I think I really like him. Maybe even." at this point she broke into continuous sobs.
"Oh I'm sorry Connie. You know I didn't mean it. Listen, it'll be okay. I know what we can do. We'll dress you up all nice, and then Snape will see you at the dance, and," she made an obscene gesture which indicated that she wanted her and Snape to become 'intimate'. "I swear this'll work!"
"I don't know.Do you really think that'll work? He doesn't really seem the type to fall for looks," Consuela said doubtfully.
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"Oh Merlin, she is sexy. I would've been fine if she hadn't kissed me like that, oh gods that was amazing. If she could kiss like that, I wonder how." Snape said, as he thought out loud.
He was having a lot of trouble concentrating on his work and would probably have to make Lupin another vile of Wolfsbane. Snape didn't seem to mind though, his thoughts continued in much the same way for the remainder of the night. It had been happening a lot lately and he had stopped fighting it. He had not however, stopped fighting with her. He wished things had gone differently. It had gone on like this for so long now, that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to fix it. His only hope was the winter dance.