- 26 -
The Great Hall was buzzing with life. The school was in an uproar, over the death of Voldemort. They were celebrating it...most of them, anyway. Draco Malfoy and a small group of other Slytherins were moping about, devastated.
Dumbledore stood up, and tapped his glass with a spoon. "As you all very well know, Voldemort has been conquered. The other professors and I have been looking into the cause of it, and found the person that is in credited to the whole wizarding world..." he paused, looking around, "That person is..."
"Harry Potter?" a Hufflepuff asked. Dumbledore laughed, and shook his head.
"No, it is not." he said, "It was Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor 7th year."
A gasp resounded through the Hall. Many of the students turned, looking in their direction. Hermione picked at her food, blushing. "Harry, now I know what it's like, being 'famous.'"
Harry snorted. "You think this is bad? You just wait 'til the whole of the world knows!" he muttered.
"Don't worry, 'Mione...we're behind you the whole way," Ron said. Hermione smiled, and nodded.
Many days later, most of Gryffindor had settled down, and treated Hermione as usual, like any other *normal* school day. A small portion of Slytherin treated her with more respect then before, giving her secret greetings. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were acting like they were in the presence of a goddess.
"The exams will be on the Wolfsbane Potion..." Severus announced, sweeping through the classroom, "This potion is partially complicated, so it would do well to study, if you have not yet got the recipe through your thick skulls."
"Funny, huh? Be mean and evil in 'Professor Snape' mode, and be Mr. Nice in 'Severus' mode," Ron whispered, flipping through the potions book.
"Mr. Weasley, that will be twenty points form Gryffindor, for talking in my class!" Severus snapped.
"Hermione is helping me study!" Ron complained. Severus raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look.
"Indeed?" he sneered, walking over, "Let's see, by the looks of it, you aren't even on the right page...That will be another ten, for lying to a teacher."
Severus bent over, looking at Harry's and Hermione's book. "No points will really be taken off," he whispered, looking at Hermione. Nodding, Severus stood upright, and strode off.
"Harry, what are you going to do after we get out of school?" Hermione asked, curling up in a chair near the fire. Harry shrugged.
"I don't know. Maybe, I'll become a seeker for a Quidditch team," Harry replied. Hermione turned to Ron.
"I want to be an Auror," he mumbled. Hermione nodded.
"I might be a teacher here," she commented, smiling. Going back to their own things, silence filled the room again.
Harry and Ron climbed onto the Hogwarts Express. Hermione was about to, when a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Wait up! Harry!" she yelled.
Hermione turned and looked at Severus, who was frowning. He shook his head, looking at the train. "Hermione, you aren't going to be taking the train," he said grimly.
"What? Why not?" she asked, looking back to see Harry and Ron looking at her from the open door. Severus sighed.
"I am not going to cover up. Your parents are not going to be picking you up at the station, because they are dead."
"Dead?" Hermione gasped. Tears started falling. "Why? How?"
"Voldemort. The monster killed them," Severus muttered. Hermione broke down sobbing. Glancing around, he hugged her, shushing her. "It's alright."
"Severus...why did he have to kill them?" she asked, "What am I going to do? Where am I going to stay?"
"Hermione, it happened when you were still, er, two," Severus said, "Dumbledore looked for a guardian for you, and found one."
"Who?" she asked. He looked at her, his black eyes worried.
"Well, me," he said, shrugging. Hermione gave him a strange look, as if he were insane.
"You?" Hermione asked. Severus nodded, looking at Harry and Ron.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but...with the students..." he said, trailing off. Most everyone had boarded the train, leaving them alone on the platform.
Hermione gave Severus a smile, before attaching herself to him. "Severus, thank you," she whispered, "I would've been moping about for weeks if you told me during school! My grades would have suffered!"
Laughing, Severus peeled her off. "Yeah, A+ to an A. Wow, the world will come to an end!" he said, "Harry, Ron, I'll be here for a week or so more, before going to the manor. Come visit, if you like."
"Can I stay here, with you?" Harry asked, "I mean, Sirius is free, and will be leaving for his house soon, too. Why have him have to fetch me from the Dursley's?"
Severus looked at him thoughtfully. "It's fine with me," he replied, shrugging.
Grinning, Harry ran to get his stuff off the train. Ron muttered a good-bye to Harry, Hermione, and Severus, before boarding the train.
Wheels turning, the Hogwarts Express rolled forward on the track, away from Hogsmeade. Hermione and Harry followed Severus away from the town, walking towards the castle.
Their lives after school just began.
The Great Hall was buzzing with life. The school was in an uproar, over the death of Voldemort. They were celebrating it...most of them, anyway. Draco Malfoy and a small group of other Slytherins were moping about, devastated.
Dumbledore stood up, and tapped his glass with a spoon. "As you all very well know, Voldemort has been conquered. The other professors and I have been looking into the cause of it, and found the person that is in credited to the whole wizarding world..." he paused, looking around, "That person is..."
"Harry Potter?" a Hufflepuff asked. Dumbledore laughed, and shook his head.
"No, it is not." he said, "It was Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor 7th year."
A gasp resounded through the Hall. Many of the students turned, looking in their direction. Hermione picked at her food, blushing. "Harry, now I know what it's like, being 'famous.'"
Harry snorted. "You think this is bad? You just wait 'til the whole of the world knows!" he muttered.
"Don't worry, 'Mione...we're behind you the whole way," Ron said. Hermione smiled, and nodded.
Many days later, most of Gryffindor had settled down, and treated Hermione as usual, like any other *normal* school day. A small portion of Slytherin treated her with more respect then before, giving her secret greetings. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were acting like they were in the presence of a goddess.
"The exams will be on the Wolfsbane Potion..." Severus announced, sweeping through the classroom, "This potion is partially complicated, so it would do well to study, if you have not yet got the recipe through your thick skulls."
"Funny, huh? Be mean and evil in 'Professor Snape' mode, and be Mr. Nice in 'Severus' mode," Ron whispered, flipping through the potions book.
"Mr. Weasley, that will be twenty points form Gryffindor, for talking in my class!" Severus snapped.
"Hermione is helping me study!" Ron complained. Severus raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look.
"Indeed?" he sneered, walking over, "Let's see, by the looks of it, you aren't even on the right page...That will be another ten, for lying to a teacher."
Severus bent over, looking at Harry's and Hermione's book. "No points will really be taken off," he whispered, looking at Hermione. Nodding, Severus stood upright, and strode off.
"Harry, what are you going to do after we get out of school?" Hermione asked, curling up in a chair near the fire. Harry shrugged.
"I don't know. Maybe, I'll become a seeker for a Quidditch team," Harry replied. Hermione turned to Ron.
"I want to be an Auror," he mumbled. Hermione nodded.
"I might be a teacher here," she commented, smiling. Going back to their own things, silence filled the room again.
Harry and Ron climbed onto the Hogwarts Express. Hermione was about to, when a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Wait up! Harry!" she yelled.
Hermione turned and looked at Severus, who was frowning. He shook his head, looking at the train. "Hermione, you aren't going to be taking the train," he said grimly.
"What? Why not?" she asked, looking back to see Harry and Ron looking at her from the open door. Severus sighed.
"I am not going to cover up. Your parents are not going to be picking you up at the station, because they are dead."
"Dead?" Hermione gasped. Tears started falling. "Why? How?"
"Voldemort. The monster killed them," Severus muttered. Hermione broke down sobbing. Glancing around, he hugged her, shushing her. "It's alright."
"Severus...why did he have to kill them?" she asked, "What am I going to do? Where am I going to stay?"
"Hermione, it happened when you were still, er, two," Severus said, "Dumbledore looked for a guardian for you, and found one."
"Who?" she asked. He looked at her, his black eyes worried.
"Well, me," he said, shrugging. Hermione gave him a strange look, as if he were insane.
"You?" Hermione asked. Severus nodded, looking at Harry and Ron.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but...with the students..." he said, trailing off. Most everyone had boarded the train, leaving them alone on the platform.
Hermione gave Severus a smile, before attaching herself to him. "Severus, thank you," she whispered, "I would've been moping about for weeks if you told me during school! My grades would have suffered!"
Laughing, Severus peeled her off. "Yeah, A+ to an A. Wow, the world will come to an end!" he said, "Harry, Ron, I'll be here for a week or so more, before going to the manor. Come visit, if you like."
"Can I stay here, with you?" Harry asked, "I mean, Sirius is free, and will be leaving for his house soon, too. Why have him have to fetch me from the Dursley's?"
Severus looked at him thoughtfully. "It's fine with me," he replied, shrugging.
Grinning, Harry ran to get his stuff off the train. Ron muttered a good-bye to Harry, Hermione, and Severus, before boarding the train.
Wheels turning, the Hogwarts Express rolled forward on the track, away from Hogsmeade. Hermione and Harry followed Severus away from the town, walking towards the castle.
Their lives after school just began.