** That evening Severus Snape had gone down to the Great Hall for the end
of term feast, his last as a Hogwats pupil. Not that he was much bothered
by this. He couldn't wait to leave, to get away from this place, where he'd
always felt like an outsider, looking in...
The feast was well in progress when he heard a voice gradually getting louder. He had to strain to hear it at first, above the noise and chatter of the hall. As it got louder, however, he came to a horrible realisation. It was his voice. Worse still was what he was saying. It was the speech he had given to Anastasia that afternoon.
'...you see, it's you I like, not Lily' the voice was saying.
'You're attractive, you're funny, you're clever, and you always seem to have time for me; not many other people do. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but... I think I'm falling in love with you, Ana.'
Although Severus was looking down at the table, he could feel that everybody in the hall was staring at him. Then the laughing started. Even now, even after the things he had seen and heard while working for Voldemort, Severus couldn't think of anything more terrible than the sound of that laughter.
He'd handled it well, he thought. He'd simply got up, walked out off the hall and up to the dormitory, head held high. The next morning he was at Hogsmeade station before anybody else was out of bed. While he was waiting for the Hogwarts Express to take him home for the last time he swore to himself that he would never feel anything for anybody or anything ever again.
He certainly wouldn't say as anything as foolish as 'I love you' again, not now.
Anastasia's first week had gone well, apart from two things. One of these was Snape, who had avoided her as much as humanly possible, and her attempts at making conversation with her ended with him simply walking past her as if he could neither see nor hear her.
Her second problem was Malfoy. Since she had given him detention he seemed to be determined to get his own back. He was sulky and surly in class and semed to delight in making snide comments whenever his back was turned.
It was late evening, and Harry and Ron were sitting in the common room, not talking. Ron was silent because he was deep in thought. His was worried-his awkwardness around Hermione was getting worse. Today, while walking to Transfiguration, she had asked him something about the homework. He had got so flustered trying to reply that he ended up dropping his bag, causing Neville to trip and fall into two Hufflepuff first years.
Harry was thinking about this incident too. At first he'd found Ron's behaviour funny, now it was just annoying. Something had to be done...
'Ask her out, Ron' Harry surprised himself. He'd meant to say something, but he didn't mean to be that direct.
'What?!' Ron looked at Harry, startled.
'Hermione' Harry replied. 'You like her, it's obvious. Do something about it.'
Harry expected Ron to deny it, or at least be cagey in his reply. He didn't expect the answer he got.
'Do you think I should?' Ron's face had gone as red as his hair. 'I mean, do you think she'd just laugh at me? I didn't think I liked her until recently-I know I was jealous when Krum was here, but I forgot about it over the summer, but now we're back, every time I see her I feel like I did when we saw the Veelas, and ....and....' Ron trailed off. 'I really like her, Harry, but I'm sure she'd just laugh at me....what?! Stop grinning like that!
Harry looked at Ron, trying not to laugh.
'You idiot! Just tell her! You're one of her best mates, she won't laugh at you!'
At that moment the door swung open. It was Hermione, carrying, as usual, a huge pile of books.
'Well, thats my Muggle Studies essay almost finished' She stood opposite them and put the books on the table.
'We had to write about Muggle Myths and Stories and provide evidence that they are based in fact' She held up her copy of 'Muggle Fairy Tales And Their Origins'.
'Actually, there's something in here that may interest Snape.' She flicked through the pages, making several pages of hand written notes fall to the ground. 'It looks to me tlike one of his Unreversable Potions isn't quite so unreversable.' She looked up at the boys, to see Harry mouthing 'go on!' at Ron. She slammed the book shut.
'I can see you two aren't interested, so I'll leave you to it.' She gathered up her dropped notes, all the time looking at Ron who, it seemed to her, looked utterly terrified. She'd always had a bit of a soft spot where Ron was concerned (not that she would admit that she had an interest in anything as silly as boys!) but, she conceded, he was a bit odd sometimes. Sweet, but odd.
She reached the bottom of the stairs when Ron called her.
'Er, Hermione?'
She turned to see Ron looking at her and Harry smiling encouragingly at him. 'Er, it's, erm...' he faltered, then quickly picked up a bit of paper from the floor.
'You...you dropped your notes'
Hermione saw Harry shake his head and roll his eyes.
'Oh, right. Thanks Ron.'
See? Odd. Very odd.
The feast was well in progress when he heard a voice gradually getting louder. He had to strain to hear it at first, above the noise and chatter of the hall. As it got louder, however, he came to a horrible realisation. It was his voice. Worse still was what he was saying. It was the speech he had given to Anastasia that afternoon.
'...you see, it's you I like, not Lily' the voice was saying.
'You're attractive, you're funny, you're clever, and you always seem to have time for me; not many other people do. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but... I think I'm falling in love with you, Ana.'
Although Severus was looking down at the table, he could feel that everybody in the hall was staring at him. Then the laughing started. Even now, even after the things he had seen and heard while working for Voldemort, Severus couldn't think of anything more terrible than the sound of that laughter.
He'd handled it well, he thought. He'd simply got up, walked out off the hall and up to the dormitory, head held high. The next morning he was at Hogsmeade station before anybody else was out of bed. While he was waiting for the Hogwarts Express to take him home for the last time he swore to himself that he would never feel anything for anybody or anything ever again.
He certainly wouldn't say as anything as foolish as 'I love you' again, not now.
Anastasia's first week had gone well, apart from two things. One of these was Snape, who had avoided her as much as humanly possible, and her attempts at making conversation with her ended with him simply walking past her as if he could neither see nor hear her.
Her second problem was Malfoy. Since she had given him detention he seemed to be determined to get his own back. He was sulky and surly in class and semed to delight in making snide comments whenever his back was turned.
It was late evening, and Harry and Ron were sitting in the common room, not talking. Ron was silent because he was deep in thought. His was worried-his awkwardness around Hermione was getting worse. Today, while walking to Transfiguration, she had asked him something about the homework. He had got so flustered trying to reply that he ended up dropping his bag, causing Neville to trip and fall into two Hufflepuff first years.
Harry was thinking about this incident too. At first he'd found Ron's behaviour funny, now it was just annoying. Something had to be done...
'Ask her out, Ron' Harry surprised himself. He'd meant to say something, but he didn't mean to be that direct.
'What?!' Ron looked at Harry, startled.
'Hermione' Harry replied. 'You like her, it's obvious. Do something about it.'
Harry expected Ron to deny it, or at least be cagey in his reply. He didn't expect the answer he got.
'Do you think I should?' Ron's face had gone as red as his hair. 'I mean, do you think she'd just laugh at me? I didn't think I liked her until recently-I know I was jealous when Krum was here, but I forgot about it over the summer, but now we're back, every time I see her I feel like I did when we saw the Veelas, and ....and....' Ron trailed off. 'I really like her, Harry, but I'm sure she'd just laugh at me....what?! Stop grinning like that!
Harry looked at Ron, trying not to laugh.
'You idiot! Just tell her! You're one of her best mates, she won't laugh at you!'
At that moment the door swung open. It was Hermione, carrying, as usual, a huge pile of books.
'Well, thats my Muggle Studies essay almost finished' She stood opposite them and put the books on the table.
'We had to write about Muggle Myths and Stories and provide evidence that they are based in fact' She held up her copy of 'Muggle Fairy Tales And Their Origins'.
'Actually, there's something in here that may interest Snape.' She flicked through the pages, making several pages of hand written notes fall to the ground. 'It looks to me tlike one of his Unreversable Potions isn't quite so unreversable.' She looked up at the boys, to see Harry mouthing 'go on!' at Ron. She slammed the book shut.
'I can see you two aren't interested, so I'll leave you to it.' She gathered up her dropped notes, all the time looking at Ron who, it seemed to her, looked utterly terrified. She'd always had a bit of a soft spot where Ron was concerned (not that she would admit that she had an interest in anything as silly as boys!) but, she conceded, he was a bit odd sometimes. Sweet, but odd.
She reached the bottom of the stairs when Ron called her.
'Er, Hermione?'
She turned to see Ron looking at her and Harry smiling encouragingly at him. 'Er, it's, erm...' he faltered, then quickly picked up a bit of paper from the floor.
'You...you dropped your notes'
Hermione saw Harry shake his head and roll his eyes.
'Oh, right. Thanks Ron.'
See? Odd. Very odd.
