Disclaimer: Not…mine…so…sad…
All right, I'm glad that people still seem to like this fic; a little plug here, if you don't mind. I have another fic, very different from this, much more lighthearted and it will move faster, although I hope that neither is incredibly better than the other, and its called The Joke's On Her and it can be found easily by clicking on my author link above. Okay, done with that, please read, please enjoy, and pretty please with Slytherin sprinkles on top REVIEWJ
In truth, he had always fancied a life free of those ephemeral attachments that others seemed to fling about so carelessly, but he had to admit that that hadn't worked out so well for him. He had become a Death Eater, he had become a spy, he had become an old man before he was forty. Severus shook his head and stepped into the scalding water, ignoring all thoughts but those the pounding drops drove into him.
Severus had, for a wonder, actually been able to sleep a little bit the night before. He stretched in a rare unguarded moment, optimistic for about a second. Until the time it took reality to catch up with his dream clouded mind. That was odd in as of itself, as he rarely had dreams that he remember, and never pleasant ones. He didn't think he dreamt pleasantly at all, yet despite the fact that he had crawled into bed at two in the morning when he had finally convinced himself that falling asleep on the book would be most undignified and probably result in more pain than he already had, he was well-rested and relatively happy. Understand, please, that this meant that his glower was less acid than usual and his eyes not quite as eager to punish childish miscreants. He dressed and showered quickly and swept down to the Great Hall with his customary pace, not breaking a step as he deducted a massive amount of points from the silly Ravenclaw first-year who thought that it would amuse his friends if he mimicked Professor Snape's walk down the hallway. Snape smiled as he felt the boys jaw drop open. Simply because he wasn't nervously searching for a way to deduct points didn't mean he didn't relish the taking of them when so flagrant a violation occurred right in his path. Or shall we say, behind his path. Albus had been right, as always, and the Great Hall shone with sunlight even this early in the day. Severus didn't mind sunshine, he really didn't, but pain from the Dark Lord's punishments always seemed worst in the sun, although he conjectured that it might be psychosomatic in that dark was magnified in the light. But he was not in the mood to think about Voldemort right now. He wanted un café mocha et un croissant…be damned to all the English breakfast nonsense. His delicate French mother had always insisted on light breakfasts, although his father liked heartier…come to think of it, he didn't really want to think about his parents either. Severus settled into his seat and took a deep sip of the mocha that appeared before him.
Hermione woke up feeling fairly refreshed, more so than she had in fact in months. Before Saturday, she had woken up for the past two months with a feeling of dread and wondering what fight she and Harry were going to have that day and how she was going to find a way to make it up. But all that was done now. She smirked a little bit, thinking of sundry Muggle magazines that she saw when in line at the pharmacy; "Get your life back TODAY" and "Take control, you really WILL feel different!" Well, she had to admit, for all that she thought they were full of crap there was something to the advice of dumping men who were giving you problems. She smiled and then wondered how she was going to get breakfast. She didn't know that she could face all the stares in the Great Hall. Not about the alcohol poisoning, Dumbledore had assured her that that was confidential, but her break-up with Harry was sure to be the talk of the school. Everyone would either think her mad or simply hate her guts, and she didn't really care to face either reaction. Her dilemma was solved when her gaze fell upon the piece of parchment floating near the doorway. Clever little charm, that. She beckoned it, noticing that she did not need to expend any magick to activate it.
Miss Granger,
I hope that you are feeling much better today, Severus has informed me that you are to be allowed to study and perform whatever research it is you two are doing, and I have agreed as long as you are as sensible about it today as you were yesterday. Also, Ron told me that he would be bringing all of your school assignments to you as soon as his classes were over, even the ones from those he doesn't share with you. Bathroom, remember, is out the door and to the left, and breakfast will come when you shout your order into the little tray in the corner of the room. See it? Oh, I suppose you can't tell me. Well, if you don't, just wait a bit and I will be up to check on you.
Poppy Pomfrey
Luckily, Hermione had spotted the tray, but she decided she ought to go to the bathroom before she ordered. She got ought of bed with a little jump, most, though not all, of the soreness from yesterday having disappeared. Her slippers were beside the bed, thankfully, and, yes, that was her robe folded over the chair over there, She gathered a few personal items and walked out the door. To her left, to her left… Yes, there was a small white door that almost blended in with the white walls in the small alcove to her left. She walked in and stared. She had thought the Head Girl's bathroom was eclectic, but this was nothing compared to several dozen random paintings and shifting colors. There was a rainbow colored waterfall in one facet of the hexagonal room. The center was an enormous hexagonal bath tub in a gorgeous natural stone that the waterfall pooled into. Hermione shrugged and moved on to examine the right side of the enormous bathroom. There was but one painting, of a mischievous little satyr leaning out of the picture and giggling cheerfully at her. It was tucked next to the massive mirror that hung above the equally massive countertop and sink. In something of a daze, Hermione placed her stuff on it and filled the tub with clear hot water and a soft scent she found. Then she wandered confusedly out of the room. It was just a little too much. In fact, she was very surprised that Madame Pomfrey would have such an opulent room in her austere facility. She could have sworn that it was different before. She leaned against the doorframe, staring at the white expanse of wall across from her to give her eyes a rest when she heard a soft chuckle from her left.
"Ah, I see that it does that to you, too. Poppy can't figure out why, whenever I stay here, her pristine conformist bathroom turns into that monstrosity in there. Too bad you have to be subjected to it as well." Professor Snape smiled at her and Hermione found the expression oddly handsome. She shook her head and looked at him with a blank, politely puzzled gaze.
"Monstrosity? Do you think? I was simply delighted when I saw it. So…elegant." She raised an eyebrow in unconscious imitation of his own dry delivery and put a wealth of expression into the word elegant. The Head of Slytherin inclined his head in acknowledgement of the Gryffindor's skillful dissembling,
"Then you have horrible taste." Hermione laughed out loud at his calculatedly blunt statement. Then she remembered that there was most likely a reason her Potions Master had come up here. Certainly not to visit her.
"Sir?" she asked.
"There was a minor skirmish between a clumsy Hufflepuff and a rather irate Gryffindor in the Great Hall this morning which resulted in a few hexes being thrown. Nothing serious, as the word minor dictates, but Poppy nonetheless had a few wounds to clean up and asked me if I could come up and check on you before I went to my first class. I assume that you are in need of nothing and have discovered the tray?"
Hermione nodded and Snape did the same, causally stepping away and leaving without another word. What a very odd man, she thought. But still, for the third time in as many days, she had to reflect upon the power he carried with him. She shook her head in confusion and walked back into the eyesore of a bathroom, fully intent upon relaxing during her bath and thinking of nothing but the swirl of the water.
Severus walked back to the dungeons of Hogwarts with his customary speed but a rather different mindset than usual. Instead of betting himself how many students would ruin their potions in the next class period, what houses they would be from and who, exactly, they would be, he was inhaling the subtle scent that had wafted into his trained Potion Master's nose. Flora but with a hint of sharpness. Perhaps a citrus. Whatever it was, he certainly didn't recall it being there on his last forced hospital stay over the summer. He frowned in confusion, and quickly turned it into a glare which sent chills up the spine of the young student who was trying to sneak flobberworm guts into Hannah Abott's schoolbag.
"Twenty points from Ravenclaw. I will, most likely mistakenly, assume that you have all read the text assigned for today?" As he paused, there were nods about the classroom. Although these were 7th year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, he still maintained his doubts about their capabilities of anything. Still, why not give them the benefit of the doubt? A little pop quiz would surely prove that everyone in the room had read- and comprehended- the material. "Splendid. Then I'm sure that you will all enjoy the points you will be gaining on this little pop quiz. Take out a quill and a piece of parchment and take down the following questions. You will have exactly twenty minutes after I read the last question to complete your answers, and anyone who does not get a nearly perfect score will lose two points from their House…per incorrect answer." His student's jaws were gaping at him but he spared them no glance. "First question: in which step of this potion may a Dark substance be substituted for the one listed in such a way as to render the entire potion Dark Magic? Question two: Name three ways that this potion can be used for good and five in which it can be utilized for Dark purposes. Question three:…"
Hermione drew herself up out of the bathtub, shaking a little of the excess water from her skin as she went. She looked around for a towel and was only a little surprised when one came sailing gently toward her. She removed the fluffy grey fabric from the ostentatious gold towel hanger, not bothering to stifle a laugh, and wrapped herself warmly into its folds. Within a few moments she was warm and dry and in the clothes she had grabbed from the room. She brushed her hair out carefully, wincing as three day's worth of knots untangled, and then she applied the potion she had discovered while researching over the summer. It was easily made and stored in large quantities for great lengths of time, so she had spent last summer stockpiling enough to make her wild hair the gorgeous sleek thing she thought rather became her. When she had finished, her stomach was growling loudly enough for her to hastily return to her room and pick up the tray. Once she was seated on her bed, she stared at the thing, wondering how the hell she was supposed to order her food. Just shout your order into it, Madame Pomfrey had said, but Hermione thought that she would look rather foolish if she did that. Her stomach gave a loud grumble. Hermione shrugged and decided that it was probably better to be fed and look foolish than be dignified and starve.
She thought for a moment about what she wanted, then, feeling incredibly ridiculous although she was all alone, she leant forward and shouted at her warped reflection in the dull gold platter, " Stuffed grape leaves and pita with hummus, please!" She felt rather less stupid when her food arrived a few moments later, hot and ready to be eaten. There was also her traditional mocha coffee, and she blessed the House Elves with all her heart. She had given up her S.P.E.W. fight when she had realized that they truly were happy with the way things were. She had known people who adored cleaning other people's messes, had known people who loved to drive others around, so she supposed it would be rather unsporting of her to try and take away what pleased the House Elves. Besides, these grape leaves were divine.
Hermione was happily munching away at her food when Madame Pomfrey came back, a little weary, and checked on her. The girl nodded pleasantly at her, and continued eating her meal. Poppy was satisfied, and left her alone to eat her meal in peace. A few minutes later, Hermione pulled the book and notes out from under the covers, and continued her work while eating. She wanted to get as much done as she could, though she certainly wasn't about to subject herself to the Mediwitch's wrath again. She frowned thoughtfully as she re-read a slightly confusing paragraph. It could be interpreted in two ways. She would have to ask Snape about it when he came back. Then it occurred to her just how much she had enjoyed last night's conversation and how much she wanted it again. She was so different from all of her schoolmates. It wasn't really that she thought herself superior to everyone else but unlike Harry she could not set aside the war raging around the steadily weakening walls of Hogwarts and act like there was nothing going on. She wanted to do something and working on this potion, even with her hated Potions professor, had seemed like a great idea. And now that she realized just how much she herself would benefit from working with this brilliant man, she thought it would take an army to stop her from helping. She smiled until she remembered the army of Death Eaters waiting eagerly for a chance to rush into Hogwarts and prevent people like her from doing things like this. Her smile faded and she grimly turned the next page in the text
Ron ran up the stairs, gripping his girlfriend's hand tightly. He had been so worried when he had heard about her stay at the Infirmary. The students had been told that there had been a little accident with an advanced project and that she would require bed rest for about a week. And yet Harry had been so cold… He knew that they were no longer going out, but hell, he and Hermione were exes as well and they got along just fine. He still loved Harry, but he couldn't be as blind as the rest of the world was to the way the boy had been acting lately. And it certainly wasn't as though he was the only person Voldemort had ruined the life of. And he wasn't the only person in such a situation who wasn't allowed to seek vengeance. Take Neville, for instance, or poor Dean, whose parents had been randomly targeted. And he knew that the other muggle-born children were just as worried about their parents or family. Voldemort was ruthless, and his operations were expanding. Ella, sensing his mood, turned him toward her for a reassuring kiss just before they got to the Infirmary. As they entered Madame Pomfrey pointed to a corridor and told them that Hermione was taking a nap at the moment, but that they could set her schoolwork down in the room and visit for a few minutes if she woke up while they were in there. Ron and Ella walked down to the room and opened it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Hermione! We didn't mean to be so loud as to wake you!" Ron grinned at the girl who had looked up from her books with dismay in her eyes when he had flung open the door.
"Thanks, Ron. I'm sure Madame Pomfrey heard that. But I think a few people in China may have missed it. Why don't you try again, a little louder?" she suggested archly. Ron gave a laugh and surged forward to give the delicate girl an aggressive hug.
"That's my 'Mione. Believe it or not, I was really worried about you, but they wouldn't let me come until today. They wouldn't tell me what happened either…" Ron frowned when his fiancé poked him in the ribs. "What?" Ella just gave him a look, then turned to greet Hermione. They weren't close friends, but she was a very nice girl and Hermione thought she and Ron were absolutely great for each other.
"Hi, Hermione. I hope you're feeling better. And, much as I know how much you like it, we did bring something other than schoolwork." She smiled shyly at the girl on the bed and produced a small box of Hermione's favorite candies and the newest book in a muggle series she had begun to read over the summer. Hermione vaguely recalled mentioning it to the blond girl, who was also muggleborn, and was enchanted at her thoughtfulness.
"That's so sweet of you both. Have a seat, tell me how the wedding plans are going!"
"We'd like to, but only if we're sure that we aren't interrupting anything important?" Ron gestured at the mess of papers and books on her bed. Hermione smiled and quickly shoved them off in an organized pile on the floor.
"No, just an extra project I'm working on. So, last time, you were telling me that you were having trouble figuring out the best charms that would allow the muggles to see all of Ron's relatives as common muggles. Did you think about the Guise charm?"
"Yeah, but we weren't sure that it would work all right with such a large number of people. I mean, Arthur and Molly have made it plain that we are to ask them for any help at all, but we'd also like to do as much as we could by ourselves," Ella answered. Hermione nodded in understanding then described an article she had recently been reading about the charm which should allay their worries about it's effectiveness on a large group. They continued talking until Madame Pomfrey came to the door of the room, clearing her throat in a no-nonsense way. Ella and Ron reluctantly took the hint and departed, giving Hermione fond farewells and promises of a visit with her work until she got out of the Infirmary. Hermione, in a pleasant mood after their drop over, realized that she had best do her homework before Snape got there.
Ok. So I hope you liked that. I'm very glad that I just went over that for corrections, although I don't usually, as there were a whole lot of little mistakes. However, as its late and I'm not the brightest bulb in the house, please point out any and all corrections you have for me. Or questions. In fact, any and all reviews… ;) I'd like to thank all of my reviewers a ton:
Madeleine Jete: Thank you and I'm glad you like it. The Key… There are obviously antidotes to a great number of potions. I don't believe that Voldemort would have chosen an immortality elixir with an already created antidote, therefore they have to make one. However, due to the intricacies of the potion Voldemort used to resurrect himself, there isn't a simple antidote that can be brewed. Also, this potion does not cover natural stuff, such as sleep, but very wide and complex things (immortality/resurrection). And the last reason they cannot simply make an antidote is that they want to do more than just reverse the process that Voldemort did on the night of the last Triwizard Tournament event. They want to erase the effect it had on all the other potions he has taken, including the one that gives him immortality. This is why they need a Key, which goes beyond the confinements of simply an antidote. That was a perhaps vain attempt to clear up "the Key concept" but please feel free to email me if you want more clarification or if you have other questions.
Janet- Well, I personally think this is quickly, as opposed to *cough* Raven Mooore!
Naut2b- Glad to hear it and hope you like the rest!
Alice- Wow, thank you so muchJ
Tracy- Thanks for the holiday wishes and the praises; here is the next chapterJ