**A/N** I actually wrote this chapter really early on, so I hope it fits well enough into the flow of the story. Are you all still liking it? I know it's a little rushed, but that cannot be helped. I'm about to suffer from the public school version of the Cruciatus curse, you know! Hopefully I'll manage to get through everything before they murmur Avada Kedavra and ruin me for good...
~~
Robert Normans's newest novel, 'The Alchemist,' was a huge hit. Hermione had managed to get a copy of it in Hogsmeade despite the high demand for it. Hermione had literally had to shove other frantic women out of the way in order to snatch up a copy from the quickly dwindling supply of books. She and Ginny had excitedly shut themselves up in her room in order to read it. Before they could get started, however, there was an insistent knock on the door.
"Come in! It's open!" Hermione called, wondering who on earth needed her so badly on a Saturday. The door opened and in filed the entire Hogwarts staff, excluding professor Snape, along with all of the Gryffindor seventh years. Hermione raised an eyebrow as Hagrid tried to squeeze through the door as well, making himself at home on her rug. Crookshanks hissed, eyed the intruders warily, and slithered under Hermione's bed. Hermione didn't blame him.
"Um... Professor McGonagall, could you explain...?" Hermione gave everyone a perplexed look, and McGonagall looked slightly embarrassed.
"Well, Hermione, it seems that you are the only person at Hogwarts lucky enough to get a copy of that book, and well... Dumbledore suspected that you and Ginny had been reading those books in here as a weekend ritual, and..." She stalled, a rare occurrence for Minerva McGonagall, but Dumbledore jumped in for her. "Can we join in? Will you read to us, Hermione? We're all just desperate to hear the story!"
The Head Girl's jaw nearly dropped. She'd had no idea these books were so addictive! Even Harry and Ron were blushing and begging her to read the book to them. Neville hit her with his puppy dog look--the one he gave her when he needed extra tutoring. Remus and Flitwick also seemed bizarrely interested in the book, and Hermione figured she should oblige them before there was a riot. The room was packed, and the air was already starting to get stuffy, but Flitwick was thoughtful enough to mutter a cooling charm. With a shrug, Hermione cracked open the innocent looking book, which smelled of fresh ink and new paper. Hermione closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled, relishing the scent. She then began to read.
~~
*Damien Gray sat between two other obnoxious staff members--one wanting to read his tarot and the other trying to bait him by insulting his harsh teaching methods--and waited for the meal to end, waited for anything that would alleviate the ennui which had overtaken him like Communism through Eastern Europe...*
~~
The novel was about a lonely, cranky professor at a muggle boarding school, who spent a good deal of his time protecting the school from political advances from Lord Vanderbilt, who was bent on seeing the institution's downfall. Hermione found the trio of future valedictorian (Heather), class hero (James), and loyal sidekick (George) strangely familiar.
Before long, the cranky professor, named Damien Gray, began to fall in love with one of his students--the future valedictorian. The book took them through his insecurities, his many character flaws, his hateful behavior towards his students and his inevitable regret regarding said behavior. Damien Gray reminded Hermione of someone, but at the moment she wasn't quite making the connection, so she continued to read.
~~
Everyone was listening with rapt attention by the time Hermione got to the part about Damien writing love letters to Heather but never sending them. Suddenly, remembering the letter that remained under her pillow, something clicked in Hermione's mind. She knew who the author was! Robert Normans was Professor Snape! Why on earth hadn't she realized it before? She had been so stupid! Suddenly she stopped reading in order to overcome the shock of her discovery.
"What? Hermione, what's wrong?" McGonagall asked, not really concerned about Hermione's health for once but simply wanting the story to continue. Hermione shook her head, murmured "Oh, it's nothing!" and continued.
~~
*"Heather, I love you. You have taken over every part of me..." Damien's eyes pleaded for understanding from the object of his affections, but it was not granted.
"Your paper and your parts are pure crap!" Heather cried, throwing the hefty pile of unsent letters down at Damien's feet. They scattered haphazardly, but he simply closed his eyes and made no move to retrieve them. "You disgust me," Heather snarled. "Never speak to me again." With those words, she stormed from the room and left Damien to mourn his loss. Solemnly, he bent down to retrieve the letters, throwing them into the crackling fire without a second glance.*
~~
Once the novel ended, everyone was crying--especially Hermione, because she knew who the novel was really talking about. The story had not ended well--Damien had finally, spurred on by raw emotion, confessed his love to Heather and was spurned viciously. Heather ran off with the school hero's loyal sidekick George, who Hermione suspected was Ron, and left Damien to himself in a fashion reminiscent of "The Phantom of the Opera," which the book actually made multiple references to. Hermione was reminded that when she had read the book, she had always thought Christine was an idiot for running off with Raoul. Was Snape truly afraid of such a rejection? Hermoine's heart began to break for him, and more tears sprang to her eyes no matter how she tried to suppress them.
"Oh, that was so sad!" sniffed Hagrid, dabbing his eyes with a comically undersized handkerchief. Suddenly, tears flowed freely down his ruddy cheeks and he began to sob. "But it was so beautiful!!!" Dumbledore, who was a little misty-eyed himself, simply patted Hagrid on the back and sighed, "There, there, Hagrid. It was only a story, after all." Upon hearing this, Hermione began to sob herself. Everyone gave her strange looks--it wasn't like Hermione to get all emotional, even when Harry himself had been forced to wipe his eyes roughly on his sleeve.
"Make yourselves at home," she murmured, drying her tears quickly. "I have to take care of some very important business!" Snatching up the book, Hermione dashed from the room and ran quickly down to the dungeons. She needed to have a very serious chat with Professor Snape. Right now.
~~
Robert Normans's newest novel, 'The Alchemist,' was a huge hit. Hermione had managed to get a copy of it in Hogsmeade despite the high demand for it. Hermione had literally had to shove other frantic women out of the way in order to snatch up a copy from the quickly dwindling supply of books. She and Ginny had excitedly shut themselves up in her room in order to read it. Before they could get started, however, there was an insistent knock on the door.
"Come in! It's open!" Hermione called, wondering who on earth needed her so badly on a Saturday. The door opened and in filed the entire Hogwarts staff, excluding professor Snape, along with all of the Gryffindor seventh years. Hermione raised an eyebrow as Hagrid tried to squeeze through the door as well, making himself at home on her rug. Crookshanks hissed, eyed the intruders warily, and slithered under Hermione's bed. Hermione didn't blame him.
"Um... Professor McGonagall, could you explain...?" Hermione gave everyone a perplexed look, and McGonagall looked slightly embarrassed.
"Well, Hermione, it seems that you are the only person at Hogwarts lucky enough to get a copy of that book, and well... Dumbledore suspected that you and Ginny had been reading those books in here as a weekend ritual, and..." She stalled, a rare occurrence for Minerva McGonagall, but Dumbledore jumped in for her. "Can we join in? Will you read to us, Hermione? We're all just desperate to hear the story!"
The Head Girl's jaw nearly dropped. She'd had no idea these books were so addictive! Even Harry and Ron were blushing and begging her to read the book to them. Neville hit her with his puppy dog look--the one he gave her when he needed extra tutoring. Remus and Flitwick also seemed bizarrely interested in the book, and Hermione figured she should oblige them before there was a riot. The room was packed, and the air was already starting to get stuffy, but Flitwick was thoughtful enough to mutter a cooling charm. With a shrug, Hermione cracked open the innocent looking book, which smelled of fresh ink and new paper. Hermione closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled, relishing the scent. She then began to read.
~~
*Damien Gray sat between two other obnoxious staff members--one wanting to read his tarot and the other trying to bait him by insulting his harsh teaching methods--and waited for the meal to end, waited for anything that would alleviate the ennui which had overtaken him like Communism through Eastern Europe...*
~~
The novel was about a lonely, cranky professor at a muggle boarding school, who spent a good deal of his time protecting the school from political advances from Lord Vanderbilt, who was bent on seeing the institution's downfall. Hermione found the trio of future valedictorian (Heather), class hero (James), and loyal sidekick (George) strangely familiar.
Before long, the cranky professor, named Damien Gray, began to fall in love with one of his students--the future valedictorian. The book took them through his insecurities, his many character flaws, his hateful behavior towards his students and his inevitable regret regarding said behavior. Damien Gray reminded Hermione of someone, but at the moment she wasn't quite making the connection, so she continued to read.
~~
Everyone was listening with rapt attention by the time Hermione got to the part about Damien writing love letters to Heather but never sending them. Suddenly, remembering the letter that remained under her pillow, something clicked in Hermione's mind. She knew who the author was! Robert Normans was Professor Snape! Why on earth hadn't she realized it before? She had been so stupid! Suddenly she stopped reading in order to overcome the shock of her discovery.
"What? Hermione, what's wrong?" McGonagall asked, not really concerned about Hermione's health for once but simply wanting the story to continue. Hermione shook her head, murmured "Oh, it's nothing!" and continued.
~~
*"Heather, I love you. You have taken over every part of me..." Damien's eyes pleaded for understanding from the object of his affections, but it was not granted.
"Your paper and your parts are pure crap!" Heather cried, throwing the hefty pile of unsent letters down at Damien's feet. They scattered haphazardly, but he simply closed his eyes and made no move to retrieve them. "You disgust me," Heather snarled. "Never speak to me again." With those words, she stormed from the room and left Damien to mourn his loss. Solemnly, he bent down to retrieve the letters, throwing them into the crackling fire without a second glance.*
~~
Once the novel ended, everyone was crying--especially Hermione, because she knew who the novel was really talking about. The story had not ended well--Damien had finally, spurred on by raw emotion, confessed his love to Heather and was spurned viciously. Heather ran off with the school hero's loyal sidekick George, who Hermione suspected was Ron, and left Damien to himself in a fashion reminiscent of "The Phantom of the Opera," which the book actually made multiple references to. Hermione was reminded that when she had read the book, she had always thought Christine was an idiot for running off with Raoul. Was Snape truly afraid of such a rejection? Hermoine's heart began to break for him, and more tears sprang to her eyes no matter how she tried to suppress them.
"Oh, that was so sad!" sniffed Hagrid, dabbing his eyes with a comically undersized handkerchief. Suddenly, tears flowed freely down his ruddy cheeks and he began to sob. "But it was so beautiful!!!" Dumbledore, who was a little misty-eyed himself, simply patted Hagrid on the back and sighed, "There, there, Hagrid. It was only a story, after all." Upon hearing this, Hermione began to sob herself. Everyone gave her strange looks--it wasn't like Hermione to get all emotional, even when Harry himself had been forced to wipe his eyes roughly on his sleeve.
"Make yourselves at home," she murmured, drying her tears quickly. "I have to take care of some very important business!" Snatching up the book, Hermione dashed from the room and ran quickly down to the dungeons. She needed to have a very serious chat with Professor Snape. Right now.