Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Harry Potter, or anyone else you may find familiar. They are the property of JK Rowling, the talented author, also to Warner Bros. Bloomsbury, Scholastic, etc. I'm a college student, so suing me would be futile, and probably ruin my last semester of college. If you recognize anything in here as yours, please let me know and I will acknowledge your contribution. Atilla is mine, though she may sometimes think it is the other way around.
A/N: Okay, I know, it has been ages since I have updated, and this is a very short chapter. I am part way through the next chapter though, and it will really, truly be posted soon. It has just been a very busy and hectic last two months. Things seem to be slowing down to normal again, hopefully they stay that way. This is my final semester of college though, so I might be a bit sporadic, I will try my hardest to put out chapters on a regular basis again. I don't think there is anything else to say, except please Review! Also a big round of applause to my wonderful betas supermoth, akbiosphere, and tealrose2000!!
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"Are you positive about this information?"
"Yes Albus, very positive. I know I can't get you much information, but of this I am certain."
"I know you try, one would wish your father was a bit more trusting of people."
"It would certainly help the cause if he was sir."
"Were you able to get any other information?"
"The only other thing is that my father also has it in for Professor Snape; probably because he did so much to bring about the fall of Lord Voldemort."
"Hmm, I will mention this to Severus, though I am sure he will not be surprised."
"I'm sorry sir; I wish I could provide you with more information, but as it is my father suspects me of not supporting him already, if I ask too many questions I know he will close up even more."
"You are doing fine my boy, keep up the good work. The information you bring is crucial to our beating the last of the Death Eaters. And remember, if you are ever in personal danger, we have a place for you here at Hogwarts."
"Thank you sir, I'll remember that. I really must go now though."
"Be safe."
Albus Dumbledore watched the young man leave his office, then sitting back he sighed. The twinkle in his eyes faltered a bit as he sat contemplating the news that he had been given. He wished there was some better way to do this, but since Severus had been exposed as a traitor to Voldemort during the war all his Death Eater contacts had slid away. Now all they had left was a young man, only 22, and already he could see the coldness and depression sinking into the boy's features. Dumbledore remembered watching the same thing happen to Severus 20 years ago, as the young man witnessed all the evil there really was in the world, and saw how little he could do to stop it. Sighing again he reached for a chocolate frog, they always cheered him up. As he munched on the frog he tried how to best break the news to Severus.
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Stretching as she got out of bed Hermione looked at her alarm clock: 7:00am blinked up at her. Smiling she walked into the kitchen to feed Atilla and see about a breakfast of her own. She felt amazingly well rested considering she had tossed and turned most of the night. And on top of that she'd made her decision about teaching at Hogwarts.
"Well Atilla, I've decided. I am not going to accept the position at Hogwarts as professor of Magic History."
Atilla looked up at Hermione, meowing her question.
"Why Not? Well I think because I don't believe I would make a good History of Magic Professor, I'm not sure I could control all those students, make the history interesting, and get along with Professor Snape. On top of that, I would never be able to work with potions: Professor Snape would not be willing to share his dungeons I'm sure. No, it is better all around if I stay at the Ministry. Speaking of which…"
Hermione looked at the clock. "… Oh No!! I have to get to work."
Throwing on some clothes Hermione left her apartment at a run, forgetting that she could just apperate until she got to the bottom of the stairs.
Watching her leave Atilla mewed quietly. She hadn't heard the locks turn in the door, or her mistress setting the wards. Walking over to the door she batted it with a paw; she was right, Hermione had forgotten to set the wards. Anyone could come in now, and take whatever they wanted from her flat. There was nothing else for it, she would have to watch the door and make sure no one would do anything to her mistress' home. Curling up in a corner so she wouldn't be seen Atilla watched the door. Slowly though, her eyes shut and she fell asleep.
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Severus groaned as he sat up. It had been a long night full of nightmares from the past. All night he had lived again and again the pain of curses, the emotional torture of watching someone die in front of his eyes and not being able to do anything about it. It was a good thing there were no children at the school right then, or they would be in for another bad day. When he heard them in the halls, questioning why he was always in such a bad mood, he wanted to take them with him in his dreams. Show them what he had gone through, what he was still going through everyday. The feeling that he had failed each time an innocent person died, the huge effort it took to resist the pull of the easy way. Most of all though, he wished that he could show them Voldemort and all the pain and horror that 'thing' had been capable of. Severus knew that that was cruel, many of the children had witnessed first had what evil could happen during Voldemort's second rise to power. A number of students were orphaned, or had only one parent, some had lost siblings, and many had lost friends, the school itself had lost a number of students before they had finally brought an end to Voldemort.
Thinking about his dreams he barely missed stepping on a quill. Bending over to pick it up he noticed the Journal sitting next to his chair at the fire.
He wanted to pick it up and hurl it across the room. There was no way he would ever be forgiven for what he had done, and for what he had not been able to stop. Cassandra did not know what she was talking about, how could she. She was young, she'd probably never seen Voldemort face to face, did not understand the evil he was capable of, or that his followers had done. What right did she have to say that they should be given a second chance, what did she know, certainly nothing about the pull that evil power has on a person, the ease with which one could slide back to the dark. If she knew that she would not want to give people like him a second chance, or any chance at all to go back to the side of evil, to follow the new dark lord that would rise up.
There was a new dark lord rising, Severus was sure of it, he just wasn't absolutely certain who it was.
"Damn them both! Damn her for letting me think even for a minute that I could be forgiven and admired. And damn Dumbledore for getting me to write in this stupid book in the first place."
With that Snape took the Journal and threw it across the room. It hit the wall then fell to the ground with a thud. 'Merlin that felt good to do.' Deciding that he would leave the Journal on the floor for the time being, he got dressed and headed into the potions lab; eating toast and drinking tea that the house elves had brought.
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Albus Dumbledore paced in his study, trying to figure out how to break the news to Severus that he was in danger. He thought about telling him that he couldn't leave the grounds of Hogwarts, but somehow he figured that would have the opposite effect. On top of his concerns about Severus, he had to worry about Hermione too. He couldn't understand why they were after Hermione, unless they were going to force her to make potions for them. They knew Severus would never work for them, so they wanted to kill him, they needed a Potions Master though, and Hermione was the best after Severus.
Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone, in a way. He could enlist Severus to keep Hermione safe while she was at Hogwarts. That might work, providing Hermione accepted the position of History of Magic Professor. That was almost a given according to Harry, Hermione hated her job at the Ministry, surely she would jump at the chance to work at Hogwarts.
About telling Severus that he was in danger, maybe he could just 'forget' to tell him.
No, that would put him in worse danger because he wouldn't be prepared. There was nothing else he could do; Dumbledore would have to tell Severus about the danger to his life.
Taking some powder out of the box labelled Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans on his mantel he tossed it into the fire saying, "Severus Snape".
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A/N: I realize that some of you are going to wonder where Dumbledore got the information about Hermione being in danger. I promise, that will be cleared up, along with a number of other things, in the next chapter.
A/N: Thank you to all of you for your patience I am sorry I have taken so long to get this chapter out. I really appreciate all your reviews.
Some of you have given me some wonderful criticism, and feedback, that means so much to me.
There is no one that I am going to specifically thank this time, I just want to let you all know how important it is to me that you all continue to review, and how much it helps my writing.
Thank You!!