Ch. 6 Strong Words in the Staff Room
"Well, Ms. Granger, I have to admit that you surprised me, dear. No one has given a fellow student detention in oh, well, Percy Weasley was the last one to give it out. He took too much pleasure in taking away points, in my opinion!" Hermione laughed along with McGonagall, even her Head of House thought that Percy had been uptight! "But, I have to agree with you on this one. I can't believe they were fighting in the classroom! Actually, I can, after all, they are boys." The professor pursed her lips in her trademark, but her younger counterpart could see the smile that threatened to appear.
"I couldn't believe it either. But I thought that detention was necessary in this case, even for Ron, though Blaise did start it." Start it he had, indeed!
"Hermione, dear, I'll see if Hagrid will take on Ron's punishment, but you still haven't told me what they were fighting about." McGonagall looked at her in a way that was quite like the Headmaster's, piercing, but only looking for the truth. Hermione saw no reason to fence with words, she had been confiding in her professor since her parent's death, Minerva would know that she was lying.
"They were fighting about me."
"What, how so?" Professor McGonagall hid away her suspicions and asked with sincerity, Hermione was a good child, well, not exactly a child anymore, but good none-the-less. While the she had made some mistakes, there were none, in Minerva's opinion, that merited fighting.
Hermione took a breath. It wouldn't get Snape in trouble, would it? Ah to hell with him, it's because of him all this happened! "Blaise Zabini was taunting Ron by saying I was a trollop and cheating on him with Professor Snape, he knew what he was doing too. Ron is a little, defensive, when it comes to me and my honor, he did kind of jump the gun when he punched Zabini." She slyly smiled at her professor, "I have to admit, though, that it was quite enjoyable to see him get his just desserts after he tried to slander me." The small smile that was intended quickly came infectious and Hermione let the grin spread across her face. Gryffindors may have had a strict honor code, but it didn't extend to forgiving their enemies easily.
"Ahh. I would have to agree with you on that one, almost the same thing happened to me in my days here at Hogwarts. Past history, that. Don't worry, Miss Granger, I'll set this straight." With all the parties involved, Minerva couldn't help thinking, and if I find one thing amiss… She let the thought hang and got up, straightening her robes as she shooed her student out of the room. "Go on, I'm sure that you have class next. I'll talk to you later about Ronald, though I'm sure that he will come tell you soon enough."
Most likely, being as Hermione had been the one to give the detention. She bid her good-byes and made her way out to Herbology, a filler course now, but one still the same. She hoped that Ron wouldn't get to mad with her later, in a way, though, she wished he would. It would give Hermione a reason to feel this way, one where she wouldn't feel like she was being horribly dishonest.
~o0o~
The staff break room, a commons of a sort, was warm and the warm fire was a welcome sight to the various staff who lounged about. You would think that all would have had smiles on their faces, happy for a reprieve from obnoxious students. You would think that, until you saw Severus Snape, sitting with his back to the fire, dressed in his normal black and wearing a scowl darker than his clothes. While his biting comments and glares had never exactly been less than normal, they seemed to have grown more intense and frequent. Today, they had been so bad that not even Sinistra, the usual one to try and cheer everyone up, had not approached.
Not that he minded, not at all. As long as they stayed away he was fine, he was dandy. He really needed to learn how to lie better.
Snape only appeared to be reading the book that perched on his lap, Magic in the Middle Ages: A Historic Guide to the Burning Times, but in truth he was trying to understand something that couldn't be found in any book: the secret to understanding Hermione. Severus knew that he would never be able to understand the young woman, that in itself was a life long expedition that he was more than happy to apply for, but the crux came to how to gain her trust again. They should have never shared that kiss. If he could only take it back…As if he really wanted to!
For ether's sake, that kiss was enough to set fire in parts of him that he thought to be long since dead. If the girl to just awaken passion in him, what else could she do? She could be a know-it-all, a helpless one at that, an inconspicuous troublemaker as she helped Potter and Weasley along with their schemes. She could also be such a caring, gentle soul, and a wonderful—Ye gods! what was he thinking? If he let this side of him show, the first years might lose their fear of him.
They would lose their fear in the same way that a certain professor had, one who had dangerously pulled up a chair to sit beside him. Gaudy shimmering prints fluttered in front of Severus's eyes, making him squint in the firelight. Now there was no doubt in his mind, Dumbledore was an insufferable prat. The white-haired gentleman to whom Snape had just referred smiled slightly, as if he could read thoughts. Perhaps he can, thought Severus, it would definitely explain a lot of things. When he noticed Albus nodding his head, he knew that he might as well get this over with. "Yes?" The man barked out, "What do you want?"
Dumbledore chuckled, "Aren't we the touchy one today! Sometimes you still act like the 7th year you once were." Snape growled, which Albus ignored. While many of his professor's students would have quaked at that rumbling sound, the Headmaster was unaffected. "All I wanted to know was how were you and Ms. Granger getting along with that potion?"
Severus goggled at the old man sitting in front of him. He had forgotten all about the potion, too many things had cropped up between now and then. "Ms. Granger and I have not spoken," that was certainly true, at least civilly, "about the potion. I do not think that we should collaborate on it, in fact, there are many opportunities for failure and I do wish to possibly injure Potter." Dumbledore studied Snape's face intently, the Headmaster could tell an out and out lie when he was told one. He was just surprised that it was his potion's professor that had uttered it.
"I won't let you do that, Severus, Harry will need this potion in his upcoming battle." Dumbledore said, his tone becoming somber, "You and Hermione are two of the most competent potion's brewers in England, even if she doesn't know it and you refuse it. Without both of you, this potion would be useless, almost as if that Longbottom boy did it, do you want to leave Mr. Potter to imminent death at Voldemort's hands?"
When Snape's eyes drifted to his own, Albus could see a new sort of resolution in his eyes, so he continued. "I thought not, don't worry, I've already spoken about it with Hermione, all you have to do is set a date, preferably soon. Good day, my boy, I'll see you at supper." Dumbledore smiled to himself as he walked away from Severus, maybe, just maybe, the two would find something better than just a tenuous working relationship while concocting the Kokopeshi.
Severus sat in his high-backed chair, contemplating the coming meeting between he and Hermione. A chance of redemption perhaps? It was possible, and he was going to try and make it highly probable, the gentle prodding that Albus had pursued them both with had worked the trick: not that Severus would tell him that. No more being a slimy git to Hermione, he would work it out with her, and maybe they could build up their semi-friendship once more. He made himself content to be only friends, and prepared to keep the relationship genial, but he couldn't deny the fact that he wished as he never had before to make it more than that. Which was exactly what a foot tapping McGonagall didn't want.
Minerva had her famous tight-lipped frown upon her countenance, apparently something had made her very mad, and apparently that someone was him. Severus quirked an eyebrow at her, which only set her off. She slapped him across the face and huffed, "How dare you? How could you possibly have that kind of a relationship with Hermione Granger? She's a student for Goddess's sakes! You should know better. Don't tell me that Zabini is lying, I know how rumors go in this school, but I have sources of my own. You are such an ass!" Yes, it was him she was pissed at.
"I don't know what you are talking about, Minerva." He answered calmly, something that infuriated her all the more. Already the whisperings had started behind him, the fellow teachers couldn't believe what was happening. McGonagall rarely ever lost her temper, and to be yelling at Snape was something that not even the bravest of them would have done if they had known about this odd relationship.
"Don't tell me you don't know what I am talking about! Blaise Zabini walked in on you and Hermione kissing, which he informed me was getting very passionate. I cannot believe that you are the kind of man to take advantage of a student, Severus!"
"I will freely admit that Mr. Zabini found us kissing, but I am not taking advantage of a student. Ms. Granger and I have found that there are certain hindrances to anything other than a friendship and we both are willing to leave it at that." Severus picked up his book and stood, narrowly avoiding the fuming woman in front of him. "If you will excuse me I have some business to attend to, and Minerva, I suggest that you learn to control your anger. It could be quite dangerous," he said while gesturing to his face, which still stood out livid on his pale skin.
Ignoring the whispered murmurings from his colleagues and the yelling witch behind him, Snape swept out of the room. As he had said, there were things that needed his attention and one of them was a certain curly-haired girl, but he was going to give her time to cool down before talking. Other things were quite pressing, one of which was research on this new potion. If he was going to work with Hermione and try to win back her confidence, he was going to be as well prepared as if it was World War Three.
AN: Very short, I'll admit, but it didn't seem right to add more.
