The route to Potions took Severus Snape past the Transfiguration classroom again, and just as he was passing by, the door opened, and Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall stepped out into the hall. "Hello, Severus," Dumbledore said.
"Professor Dumbledore," Snape said with an acknowledging nod of his head. "Professor McGonagall." He glanced to the left, and then to the right before giving them his full attention, as if to make sure no one was nearby. "All things considered, how are you?"
"We'll survive," Dumbledore said, and took Minerva's hand. "Somehow, we'll get through this."
Minerva only nodded.
Snape glanced down the hall again, and without looking at them, said softly, "He was a good friend."
"You two had an understanding," Dumbledore said. Few Gryffindors and Slytherins ever attained a degree of friendship reached by Gabriel Dumbledore and Severus Snape. Dumbledore couldn't help but notice the irony in the situation. Snape and Gabriel became friends while working on Julius Caesar, which Gabriel directed. Now Snape was working on Macbeth with another Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, who was also directing, and he seemed to be developping an understanding with her as well. "It would also seem that history is repeating itself."
Snape knew at once that he was talking about how he became friends with Gabriel and knew he was comparing it to his forming ability to cooperate with Hermione in the name of Shakespeare. My, my, what a small world this is, he thought to himself.
"Have you decided on a performance date for Macbeth?" Dumbledore asked.
Snape nodded. "New Year's Eve."
Dumbledore looked at Minerva, and both of them nodded. Dumbledore turned his attention back to Snape and said, "Do you think it would be possible to reserve two seats, preferably near the front, for two former professors who recently lost their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren in a tragic natural disaster? Both of them are avid Shakespeare fans, and I'm sure they would love to see you work again."
A look of surprise crossed Snape's face, and Dumbledore inquired about it. "Nothing," Snape said. "I just... I didn't think he was alive anymore, that's all."
"Armando Dippet is five years younger than I am, Severus," Dumbledore said, "and I'm still here."
Snape had seen the former headmaster of Hogwarts three times in his life. The first was at the opening night for Julius Caesar. The second was later that same year at graduation. The third was at Gabriel Dumbledore's wedding. From what Snape understood, Dippet retired as headmaster in 1951, then served as Minister of Magic for seven years, until his daughter was born. "Indeed," Snape said. "Very well, then. I will speak to Miss Granger about arranging that. I'm sure it will be no problem." He paused, then said, "I know I have a photo of Gabriel and Cora on opening night somewhere in my collection. If you like, I will try to find it and bring it to you."
"Thank you," Minerva said, who had remained silent until that point.
Snape excused himself and began to walk away. Dumbledore and Minerva watched him go, then looked at each other. "You had to say that it seems like history is repeating itself, didn't you?" Minerva asked.
"You know, Minerva, I hadn't even thought about the double meaning in that phrase until now," Dumbledore said. "If you hadn't said something, I probably never would have thought about it at all." He leaned over, kissed her on the cheek, and added, "But in all actuality, do you really think that could happen in this situation?"
"No one ever thought Severus and Gabriel would become friends," she replied quietly.
Dumbledore nodded. "You're right. You usually are. We will have to watch them very closely."
She took his arm, and they began walking toward his office. There was a letter that needed to be written to some old friends. "It will be hard for us to do that without turning into hypocrites," she commented.
"We might not have been 'right', Minerva, but I don't think anyone would say that we were wrong."
~~~
When Snape reached his classroom, the first thing he looked at was the clock in the corner. It was eight forty-two. Classes began at nine o'clock. That meant that in eighteen minutes, he had to search for the picture and set up for first class, and he knew he would never be able to do that. The picture would just have to wait. The second-years were making Swelling Solution today, and as it was, he would be hard-pressed to have enough Deflating Draught ready in time for the class. They were a rambunctious group, and he was sure to have at least one catastrophe. He put finding the picture in the back of his mind and set to work making the potion.
Snape had finished laying out enough ingredients for two batches of Deflating Draught and was starting on the first batch when there was a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he called.
"It's me, Professor Snape. This will only take a minute, if that." The voice belonged to Hermione Granger.
He decided that he had a minute. "Come in, Miss Granger."
She opened the door and came inside. "I was just thinking about Act Three, Scene Three," she said. "That's the one where Banquo is murdered."
"Yes. What about it?"
"Should we make it obvious that the third murderer is Ross? I mean, like have him look directly at the audience or something?"
"You're the director, Miss Granger." He added some crushed scarab beetles to his cauldron.
"You're the assistant director, Professor Snape."
Normally, he would have rebuked her for giving him a reply like that, but in this situation, he was almost amused by their battle of wits. Shakespeare was one of his favorite things to discuss, and although he wasn't about to admit it to Hermione, he felt honored and excited to be a part of this production. "All right. The murderers are exiting. The first two carry Banquo's body off. The third watches them, then looks at the audience just long enough for them to realize that he's Ross, and then leaves. Subtle, yet insightful."
Hermione nodded. "I like it. I was thinking something along that line, too." She glanced at the ingredients in front of him, then said, "Are you making Deflating Draught?"
"Yes, I am." For a moment, he thought about asking her to make the second batch. It would certainly save him some time, but he hated the idea of owing her a favor. Besides, her class started in sixteen minutes. She might be able to finish a batch, but it would be pushing the time limits.
"I see that you have enough ingredients for two batches, but only enough time for one. Need an extra pair of hands?"
Well, so much for not owing her a favor. He couldn't exactly refuse when she saw that he was in a predicament. "Yes, and thank you. There's a cauldron over in that cabinet."
Hermione set her bookbag on the floor, walked over to the cabint, removed a cauldron, and carried it back over to his table. "I just posted the cast list," she said, lighting a fire below the cauldron.
"Really?" Snape said, his interest perking. "Were there some interesting reactions?"
She nodded as she poured in some water. "Yeah. Crabbe and Goyle were pretty excited over the fact that they get to kill Malfoy, and you should have seen Neville when Parvati told him that he landed the part of Macbeth. I don't think he's blinked yet."
"I want to hear him read," Snape said. "That role is not yet final."
"Trust me, Professor. Neville is amazing. Truth be told, I didn't know he had it in him, but I was wrong. Could you pass me the essence of belladonna, please?"
Snape handed her the desired ingredient. She thanked him and added some to her cauldron. He put some billywig stings into his concoction and then cast a stirring spell. Hermione chuckled when she saw him do that. "A stirring spell, Professor?" she said. "You always made us mix it by hand."
"A stirring spell is appropriate when it's a low-level potion and the mixer is short on time," Snape replied. "It's more potent when it's mixed by hand, but I doubt anything concocted by the second-years is going to be too strong for this. I know it's not exactly setting a good example, but desperate times call for desperate measures."
"Your secret is safe with me, Professor," Hermione said, and poured some Bundimun secretion into her potion.
"Careful," Snape said, gently guiding her hand away from the cauldron as she finished adding that ingredient. "Too much of that will ruin the potion."
Hermione almost jumped when he touched her, and she was surprised to find that her heart rate was accelerating even after he pulled his hand away. "Thank you, Professor Snape, but I think I had it under control."
"My apologies," he said, and checked his potion. It was almost done. He halted the stirring spell, extinguished the flame, and then added a pinch of chopped daisy roots into the mix. He glanced at the clock out of the corner of his eye. She now had thirteen minutes. "What class do you have first?"
"Charms," she answered.
"Switch potions with me. You can finish off mine and still make it to class on time, and I'll finish yours."
They switched places, and Hermione stirred the nearly-finished potion with a wooden spoon. "Are we still on for the all-call after classes?" she asked.
He nodded and reached for the crushed scarab beetles. "Oh, I just added the scarab beetles," Hermione said, instinctively reaching out to stop his hand before it arrived at the ingredient. When their fingers touched, she quickly pulled her hand away and mumbled an apology.
"The all-call is a go," Snape said, and added some powdered root of asphodel to the potion. He then remembered Dumbledore's request, and decided that now was as good a time as any to bring it up. "When we perform the play, Professor Dumbledore requested that seats be reserved for two former instructors who are both Shakespeare fans and lost a child and grandchildren in the same disaster that he and Professor McGonagall did. Do you think that would be possible?"
Hermione nodded. "Totally. Let me guess: this child of theirs was Gabriel Dumbledore's wife."
Snape replied in the affirmative.
"All right. Give me the names, and I'll write them down when I get to Charms."
"Armando Dippet and Indira Nay."
Hermione nearly dropped her spoon. "Armando Dippet's still alive?" she said in disbelief.
Snape thought about saying that he had a similar reaction to that news, but thought better of it and kept silent. "Yes, he is. He's younger than Professor Dumbledore, believe it or not, but not by much."
"Interesting," she said. "I remember reading about him a few times, but it never occured to me that he would still be alive."
"Well, he is. He more or less retired from the public eye when Cora was born, though, so that may be why you thought he wasn't around anymore. His wife, Professor Nay, continued teaching at Hogwarts until nineteen seventy-nine. She's about nine years older than Professor McGonagall."
"What did she teach?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts, and she was the head of Slytherin house."
"Armando Dippet and Indira Nay," Hermione said, committing the names to memory. "All right, then. I'll make sure they have the best seats in the house." She glanced down at the potion. "It's done, Professor."
"Thank you, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor. Now get to Charms before you're late and lose those five points."
Hermione smiled at him, picked up her bookbag, and headed for the door. Snape watched her go, and he felt a smile of his own forming on his lips. Dumbledore was right. History was indeed repeating itself. He doubted if his relationship with Hermione would ever reach friend status, as it had with Gabriel, but that wasn't the point. The idea was to get along with her for the greater good, and he felt that was coming along quite nicely.
~~~
A/N: Yes, I'm a Dippet fan. The only reason he died in 'Obsessions' was because he had to in order for that story to work. ^_^ But anyway, I need some feedback on Snape and Hermione, mainly whether or not you think they're believable. Thanks for reading and have a good day.
"Professor Dumbledore," Snape said with an acknowledging nod of his head. "Professor McGonagall." He glanced to the left, and then to the right before giving them his full attention, as if to make sure no one was nearby. "All things considered, how are you?"
"We'll survive," Dumbledore said, and took Minerva's hand. "Somehow, we'll get through this."
Minerva only nodded.
Snape glanced down the hall again, and without looking at them, said softly, "He was a good friend."
"You two had an understanding," Dumbledore said. Few Gryffindors and Slytherins ever attained a degree of friendship reached by Gabriel Dumbledore and Severus Snape. Dumbledore couldn't help but notice the irony in the situation. Snape and Gabriel became friends while working on Julius Caesar, which Gabriel directed. Now Snape was working on Macbeth with another Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, who was also directing, and he seemed to be developping an understanding with her as well. "It would also seem that history is repeating itself."
Snape knew at once that he was talking about how he became friends with Gabriel and knew he was comparing it to his forming ability to cooperate with Hermione in the name of Shakespeare. My, my, what a small world this is, he thought to himself.
"Have you decided on a performance date for Macbeth?" Dumbledore asked.
Snape nodded. "New Year's Eve."
Dumbledore looked at Minerva, and both of them nodded. Dumbledore turned his attention back to Snape and said, "Do you think it would be possible to reserve two seats, preferably near the front, for two former professors who recently lost their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren in a tragic natural disaster? Both of them are avid Shakespeare fans, and I'm sure they would love to see you work again."
A look of surprise crossed Snape's face, and Dumbledore inquired about it. "Nothing," Snape said. "I just... I didn't think he was alive anymore, that's all."
"Armando Dippet is five years younger than I am, Severus," Dumbledore said, "and I'm still here."
Snape had seen the former headmaster of Hogwarts three times in his life. The first was at the opening night for Julius Caesar. The second was later that same year at graduation. The third was at Gabriel Dumbledore's wedding. From what Snape understood, Dippet retired as headmaster in 1951, then served as Minister of Magic for seven years, until his daughter was born. "Indeed," Snape said. "Very well, then. I will speak to Miss Granger about arranging that. I'm sure it will be no problem." He paused, then said, "I know I have a photo of Gabriel and Cora on opening night somewhere in my collection. If you like, I will try to find it and bring it to you."
"Thank you," Minerva said, who had remained silent until that point.
Snape excused himself and began to walk away. Dumbledore and Minerva watched him go, then looked at each other. "You had to say that it seems like history is repeating itself, didn't you?" Minerva asked.
"You know, Minerva, I hadn't even thought about the double meaning in that phrase until now," Dumbledore said. "If you hadn't said something, I probably never would have thought about it at all." He leaned over, kissed her on the cheek, and added, "But in all actuality, do you really think that could happen in this situation?"
"No one ever thought Severus and Gabriel would become friends," she replied quietly.
Dumbledore nodded. "You're right. You usually are. We will have to watch them very closely."
She took his arm, and they began walking toward his office. There was a letter that needed to be written to some old friends. "It will be hard for us to do that without turning into hypocrites," she commented.
"We might not have been 'right', Minerva, but I don't think anyone would say that we were wrong."
~~~
When Snape reached his classroom, the first thing he looked at was the clock in the corner. It was eight forty-two. Classes began at nine o'clock. That meant that in eighteen minutes, he had to search for the picture and set up for first class, and he knew he would never be able to do that. The picture would just have to wait. The second-years were making Swelling Solution today, and as it was, he would be hard-pressed to have enough Deflating Draught ready in time for the class. They were a rambunctious group, and he was sure to have at least one catastrophe. He put finding the picture in the back of his mind and set to work making the potion.
Snape had finished laying out enough ingredients for two batches of Deflating Draught and was starting on the first batch when there was a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he called.
"It's me, Professor Snape. This will only take a minute, if that." The voice belonged to Hermione Granger.
He decided that he had a minute. "Come in, Miss Granger."
She opened the door and came inside. "I was just thinking about Act Three, Scene Three," she said. "That's the one where Banquo is murdered."
"Yes. What about it?"
"Should we make it obvious that the third murderer is Ross? I mean, like have him look directly at the audience or something?"
"You're the director, Miss Granger." He added some crushed scarab beetles to his cauldron.
"You're the assistant director, Professor Snape."
Normally, he would have rebuked her for giving him a reply like that, but in this situation, he was almost amused by their battle of wits. Shakespeare was one of his favorite things to discuss, and although he wasn't about to admit it to Hermione, he felt honored and excited to be a part of this production. "All right. The murderers are exiting. The first two carry Banquo's body off. The third watches them, then looks at the audience just long enough for them to realize that he's Ross, and then leaves. Subtle, yet insightful."
Hermione nodded. "I like it. I was thinking something along that line, too." She glanced at the ingredients in front of him, then said, "Are you making Deflating Draught?"
"Yes, I am." For a moment, he thought about asking her to make the second batch. It would certainly save him some time, but he hated the idea of owing her a favor. Besides, her class started in sixteen minutes. She might be able to finish a batch, but it would be pushing the time limits.
"I see that you have enough ingredients for two batches, but only enough time for one. Need an extra pair of hands?"
Well, so much for not owing her a favor. He couldn't exactly refuse when she saw that he was in a predicament. "Yes, and thank you. There's a cauldron over in that cabinet."
Hermione set her bookbag on the floor, walked over to the cabint, removed a cauldron, and carried it back over to his table. "I just posted the cast list," she said, lighting a fire below the cauldron.
"Really?" Snape said, his interest perking. "Were there some interesting reactions?"
She nodded as she poured in some water. "Yeah. Crabbe and Goyle were pretty excited over the fact that they get to kill Malfoy, and you should have seen Neville when Parvati told him that he landed the part of Macbeth. I don't think he's blinked yet."
"I want to hear him read," Snape said. "That role is not yet final."
"Trust me, Professor. Neville is amazing. Truth be told, I didn't know he had it in him, but I was wrong. Could you pass me the essence of belladonna, please?"
Snape handed her the desired ingredient. She thanked him and added some to her cauldron. He put some billywig stings into his concoction and then cast a stirring spell. Hermione chuckled when she saw him do that. "A stirring spell, Professor?" she said. "You always made us mix it by hand."
"A stirring spell is appropriate when it's a low-level potion and the mixer is short on time," Snape replied. "It's more potent when it's mixed by hand, but I doubt anything concocted by the second-years is going to be too strong for this. I know it's not exactly setting a good example, but desperate times call for desperate measures."
"Your secret is safe with me, Professor," Hermione said, and poured some Bundimun secretion into her potion.
"Careful," Snape said, gently guiding her hand away from the cauldron as she finished adding that ingredient. "Too much of that will ruin the potion."
Hermione almost jumped when he touched her, and she was surprised to find that her heart rate was accelerating even after he pulled his hand away. "Thank you, Professor Snape, but I think I had it under control."
"My apologies," he said, and checked his potion. It was almost done. He halted the stirring spell, extinguished the flame, and then added a pinch of chopped daisy roots into the mix. He glanced at the clock out of the corner of his eye. She now had thirteen minutes. "What class do you have first?"
"Charms," she answered.
"Switch potions with me. You can finish off mine and still make it to class on time, and I'll finish yours."
They switched places, and Hermione stirred the nearly-finished potion with a wooden spoon. "Are we still on for the all-call after classes?" she asked.
He nodded and reached for the crushed scarab beetles. "Oh, I just added the scarab beetles," Hermione said, instinctively reaching out to stop his hand before it arrived at the ingredient. When their fingers touched, she quickly pulled her hand away and mumbled an apology.
"The all-call is a go," Snape said, and added some powdered root of asphodel to the potion. He then remembered Dumbledore's request, and decided that now was as good a time as any to bring it up. "When we perform the play, Professor Dumbledore requested that seats be reserved for two former instructors who are both Shakespeare fans and lost a child and grandchildren in the same disaster that he and Professor McGonagall did. Do you think that would be possible?"
Hermione nodded. "Totally. Let me guess: this child of theirs was Gabriel Dumbledore's wife."
Snape replied in the affirmative.
"All right. Give me the names, and I'll write them down when I get to Charms."
"Armando Dippet and Indira Nay."
Hermione nearly dropped her spoon. "Armando Dippet's still alive?" she said in disbelief.
Snape thought about saying that he had a similar reaction to that news, but thought better of it and kept silent. "Yes, he is. He's younger than Professor Dumbledore, believe it or not, but not by much."
"Interesting," she said. "I remember reading about him a few times, but it never occured to me that he would still be alive."
"Well, he is. He more or less retired from the public eye when Cora was born, though, so that may be why you thought he wasn't around anymore. His wife, Professor Nay, continued teaching at Hogwarts until nineteen seventy-nine. She's about nine years older than Professor McGonagall."
"What did she teach?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts, and she was the head of Slytherin house."
"Armando Dippet and Indira Nay," Hermione said, committing the names to memory. "All right, then. I'll make sure they have the best seats in the house." She glanced down at the potion. "It's done, Professor."
"Thank you, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor. Now get to Charms before you're late and lose those five points."
Hermione smiled at him, picked up her bookbag, and headed for the door. Snape watched her go, and he felt a smile of his own forming on his lips. Dumbledore was right. History was indeed repeating itself. He doubted if his relationship with Hermione would ever reach friend status, as it had with Gabriel, but that wasn't the point. The idea was to get along with her for the greater good, and he felt that was coming along quite nicely.
~~~
A/N: Yes, I'm a Dippet fan. The only reason he died in 'Obsessions' was because he had to in order for that story to work. ^_^ But anyway, I need some feedback on Snape and Hermione, mainly whether or not you think they're believable. Thanks for reading and have a good day.