—Yay! Chapter 2! Can't believe it! Okay so there is another poor OOC bastard in this chapter too, but I swear it's all for plot purposes (besides, this one might see the light in the end of the story!) But anyway, we get to see 'Him' in this chapter, Mmmmm!
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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of his wonderful little friends. The only thing that is mine is this sad little plot. Anything recognisable belongs to Ms. Rowling who I hope never finds out what we're doing to her innocent little creations (Hehehehe!! ?) (Wow I used the word 'little' in every sentence—creepy)
Chapter 2
A New Beginning
Hermione roughly brushed away any of the remaining tears on her face as she stepped off the dark balcony. The cry had been good. She had needed to cry again—she hadn't for so long, not since that night that he had left her, and their friendship, forever.
Sure, at first she had expected him to call her after a few days (weeks at the most), and they would go to a local café were they would sit and come to peace over butterbeers and biscuits—it wasn't until now that she realized what a deluded little fantasy that had been.
Days, weeks, and months went by without Hermione hearing a single word from or about the wizard who everyone knew. In conversations with mutual friends she felt as though she were being handled carefully—like she was a fragile piece of crystal (Harry had, no doubt, been spreading rumors that she was emotionally unstable) and would break at the slightest jerk—she hated it. She hated them for believing him—taking his side like they always did.
There was never a time in Hermione's life in which she would have been nominated for a popularity award. Indeed, she had always kept her circle of friends a tight and exclusive club—in truth, it was mainly composed of Harry and Ron. But as they got older the balance amongst the trio changed and Hermione found that in any arguments she had no ally—Ron would always take Harry's side, it was as simple as that. Therefore, it came as no surprise that when Harry began avoiding Hermione, so did Ron. He wouldn't return her calls or owls, and whenever she did manage to get a hold of him, their conversations were always hurried, chaste and accompanied by a good deal of embarrassment on the part of Ron.
"Fine then!" Hermione screamed across her flat, as her owl had just returned the letter she had sent to Ron—unopened. "If he wants to sacrifice my friendship so that he can forever live in the shadow of The Great and Mighty Harry Potter then fine! Fuck him!" She was overcome by emotions and surprised even herself when she walked back onto the balcony and shouted into the black darkness of night, "Do you hear that Ron Weasley? Fuck You!!" Feeling decidedly better than she had in months, Hermione walked back into her living room for the second time that night, this time slamming the balcony doors shut behind her.
Sleep had been nice, but she had things to do. Tossing on a pair of black trousers and grey cable-knit jumper, Hermione's long, curling tresses flowed unheeded down her back as she walked down the hall and into her office where an unanswered letter had laid on her desk for three days. It was a letter just like any other, except that the writing on the front was a scrawling print in emerald green ink, and it was closed shut with a scarlet wax seal bearing the Hogwarts School emblem.
She hadn't wanted to open this letter until she had heard from Ron. Until she was sure that things here were wrapped up in neat little bun—until she was sure that all her bridges could be burned. Since she hadn't heard anything at all she sat in one of the wingback chairs and gingerly broke the seal—perhaps, in the case of Ron, no news had been good news.
The letter was short and simple—well, as short and simple as a letter from Albus Dumbledore to his favorite pupil that he hadn't seen in five years could be. Hermione was to meet Albus at Hogwarts at 2 o'clock the following day—there was something very important that he needed to discuss with her in person. Giggling with delight, she curled up into herself to read and reread the letter in the warm surroundings of her study. This day was going to be perfect!
"I'm going back home!" she shouted to the orange fluff-ball that was Crookshanks as she scuttled past him in the hall way on her way to the kitchen. Crookshanks simply stretched, gave a disinterested "Meow" and then followed her—feet padding softly on the hardwood floors.
The day of preparation really had been perfect. Hermione had managed to go down to Diagon Alley were she purchased a new deep black robe from Madame Malkin's, and the latest copy of Post-Graduate Advanced Transfiguration. Once her parcels were wrapped she stopped and ate lunch at the Leaky Cauldron before apparating back to her flat to deposit the brown paper packages—she couldn't very well go shopping in Muggle London with boxes imprinted with "Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions" and "Flourish and Blotts Wizarding Booksellers".
Hermione spent the afternoon picking out just the right outfit to wear when she went to meet Albus the following day. It had really been quite an ordeal and Gods know Hermione had not made it any easier for the women who waited on her, as she could not really specify the exact occasion that the outfit was to be worn to. All she could do was sigh loudly and repeat for the umpteenth time, "It has to be dressy, but not too dressy; adult-looking, but not too much so; casual, but not overly so." In the end Hermione left the shop with an adorable pair of black pin stripe trousers, a fitted ¾ sleeve collared, button-up white shirt, and a black cardigan to wear (the last bit she had been talked into by the exhausted sales women who insisted that it was to cold not to wear something over the shirt—Hermione couldn't have told her about the heavy wool robe she had just bought an hour ago).
That night was spent in deep contemplation of the various subjects to which Albus could want to discuss—the possibilities were endless. She went over the letter at least 70 more times before finally looking at the clock on her wall to see that it was 1:30 am. "Shit" was all that was said before Hermione dragged herself into the bedroom and properly toppled over with exhaustion.
In all her years at Hogwarts, Hermione had always been an early riser. Even if she had been doing homework or extra credit late into the night, her body had always managed to wake her up before dawn the next day. It, therefore, came as no surprise that when she opened her eyes the next morning the sky outside her window was only hinted with wisps of pink and yellow clouds that forewarned of the inevitable Sunday morning sunrise ahead—it was going to be a beautiful winter day despite the weatherman's rather morose prediction the day previous.
"Bloody blasted weatherman!" Hermione spat as she sloshed through the freezing snow, up the path, towards the front door of Hogwarts later that day. She had completely forgotten that the weather forecast that she had denounced earlier that morning had been one which she had watched for the North where Hogwarts was located—it was still ruddy beautiful in London! Once under the shelter of the slight overhang of the door Hermione performed a quick drying charm on her hair and robes before knocking tentatively. It occurred to her only then that she had never been a visitor at Hogwarts, in the past the doors had always been open to the students who arrived by coach—she had never had to ask for permission to…. Her thoughts had been cut short by the left door being flung haphazardly open, and by the tall man now standing in front of her.
"You're late Miss Granger" he sneered down towards her. Hermione smiled, even he was a happy sight to behold; he made her feel as though she had never left."Yes, I know Professor Snape, but I was not expecting the two feet of snow that I was greeted with upon apparating at the gates. I'm afraid I was a little stunned, I do apologize."
Snape was obviously taken aback at her casual offering of an apology—in all the years that she had been his student he had never heard her openly admit to being in the wrong. He shook his head slightly before smiling (slightly) down at her—now it was Hermione's turn to be taken aback.
"It's quite all right Miss Granger, you are only a few minutes late and I dare say that you were expecting someone who would be a little more lenient in matters of tardiness than I am." She laughed cautiously at the pun towards his unrelenting strictness about punctuality before he was to continue. "Albus was planning on meeting you himself, but found that Minerva had something she desperately needed to speak to him about, no doubt something of dire Gryffinsor importance, like the Quidditch trials. So he sent me instead." It was here that Snape had reverted back into his old ways as the harshness that intoned in his final sentence gave Hermione the firm belief that he would have rather been anywhere but standing next to her at this moment. Why does he have to be so damn difficult! Can't he just decide to be nice and stick to it? It's like he suddenly realized he was being to friendly and decided it would be better to withdraw.
Severus Snape looked determinedly past Hermione's astonished face—he had been too nice to her before! I can't have her running about with the foolish idea that I am going to be her friend, she doesn't need another friend. Let her run to Potter or Weasely with her problems, not me!
"Well let's go girl, I haven't got all day" he stated a little more harshly than he had intended, for she jumped noticeably at his voice. She was nervous around him. Severus laughed at this. He had never imagined that after all these years, he would still be able to strike fear into this girl. If it had been any other student he wouldn't have doubted for a minute (they had all been stupid and weak), but Hermione Granger had never been his inferior, she had always been an equal. That was why he had had to work extra hard at keeping her down; better to toughen her up for the 'real world'—it could use a mind like hers.
They began walking down one of the more obscure corridors that led to the entrance of Dumbledore's office. He hated the way that man had to let the passage change every time a person went down it, there was always the very real chance that he, Severus Snape, might get lost. And, Oh, wouldn't little Miss Gryffindor Perfect just adore that, he thought venomously. She wasn't saying anything—that was unusual. Whenever she had been in his class it was like she couldn't shut up and now, when the silence between them was becoming incredibly uncomfortable, she felt the need to turn a taciturn disposition. Well, I'll be damned if I'm going to be the one to make small talk. Severus abhorred small talk.
When they finally reached Dumbledore's office they came across another little problem."Damnit, the password!" Severus whispered, a little to loudly, to himself.
"Don't you know it?" she piped up suddenly. Was that a hint of amusement in her voice?
"Of course I don't know it Miss Granger, this is not my office, and the Headmaster would be making my life far too easy if he had simply told me the password ahead of time!" Snape was in a conundrum—he knew that the password was usually some Muggle sweet, but he really didn't know any of those. The best strategy at the moment was to name as many as he could remember.
"Um…Mars Bar, sherbert lemon, gum drop, jelly bean, M and M…oh holy hell!" The gargoyle stood transfixed, and Severus could swear that he detected a smile on that little bastard's face. Finally Hermione gave it a go.
"How about…Milk Tray?" It seemed a stupid suggestion, and name for a candy, but as soon as it left her lips the large statue began to move, eventually revealing the familiar staircase leading to the wooden door of Dumbledore's office. Severus turned and looked at Hermione for the first time since their meeting in the hallway. She was smiling, but not in a smug, overbearing way—just smiling, sweetly.
The Headmaster's Office was the same as Hermione could recall it from the very few occasions she'd been there. She sat in the comfortable wingback chair to the right of Dumbledore's desk while Snape took the one on the left. Again, the silence. Snape refused to make the first move and Hermione knew it, she would have to acquiesce.
"So…""Miss Granger, if you are attempting to make small talk then let me save both of us the trouble of mumbling through pointless pleasantries that will more than likely be lies on both our parts." He interrupted her so suddenly that she didn't have time to react, she instead just sat, frozen stunned.
"How did you know I was going to make small talk Professor? I might have been going to tell you to sod off and leave the Headmaster and me to our business alone." Now it was Snape's turn to be stunned for she had spoken in such a sweet monotone that if he hadn't been paying attention to the words, their true meaning would have completely escaped him—she was calling his bluff. She knew damn well that he didn't want to speak with anyone, let alone her, and now she was practically challenging him to continue a verbal dialogue, and the really sad part was that she thought she was going to win. Ha! I'll show her.
"Well, in a case such as that I would have to reply by telling you that Albus gave me strict instructions to sit in her with you until he returns. Probably doesn't want your nosy Gryffindor habits to get the better of you."
She was visibly shocked that he had arisen, but didn't let this deter her. "Hmm?" she said with an expression of fake pensiveness, "Perhaps he wants to speak to you as well, after me, but he concluded that it would be better to have you under my studious watch than let you skulk about the corridors plotting evil things to do to your potions class when they get back from holiday."
Severus appeared thoughtful for a moment before he pulled out a small black notebook and flipped through a few pages until finally stopping on the desired one. "Nope," he said earnestly while tapping his finger a couple of times on the little notebook page, " no, that cannot be it, for my daily 'Skulk About the Corridors' isn't scheduled until after dinner and right before 'Brooding about Chambers'." She laughed. Not an evil laugh like that of the Death Eaters, or an 'Amused at the Folly of Others' laugh that Albus usually had, but a real honest, happy laugh. He couldn't help but smile, and then before he knew it, he was laughing too.
A/N: If you liked the story, please tell me and I'll try to post the chapters a little sooner—I'm really forgettful so it's sometimes difficult to remember to update on a regular basis. Anyway, thanks for reading!!! :)