If I Had Known
Author's note: Here is Chapter 3. Read, Review, and Enjoy!
Disclaimer: We all play in the world JKR has created, so I brought someone along. Serenity is mine.
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A pensieve was a powerful tool. Serenity had never had the chance to use one, but she knew how one basically worked. Her father had kept one, but she learned from experience not to touch anything he deemed "off limits". The pensieve, was indeed, off limits.
She felt the cold. Despite the dim surroundings, and she knew exactly where she was. She was in her father's private workroom next to the Potions laboratory in the dungeons of Hogwarts. What she didn't expect was the way the people seemed real, the sounds, the smells, it was as if she really was there, even if she could not talk to the people she was seeing.
As she walked through the doorway, she saw a younger version of her father brewing a potion over an open flame. Seeing him alive, even though a pensieve brought tears to her eyes, and she silently sobbed. A handkerchief was handed to her, and she looked up to see Headmaster Dumbledore patting her shoulder in a small sign of comfort.
"It's alright to cry, child. You have suffered a huge loss, as we all have. I took the liberty of joining you in the pensieve, I did not think you should be alone while you sort through the truth. With your permission, I'll guide you through the more pertinent strand of memories so that you will have an idea of the way things were."
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She couldn't believe her eyes. Serenity could not believe that the young woman she saw in the pensieve was her mother. Through the guidance of Dumbeldore, she witnessed from his point of view what her mother had been like as a student at Hogwarts. The Daily prophet never regaled her with stories about Hermione Granger's love of books, or her activist attempts of S.P.E.W, and certainly, not the way her mother's loyalty towards her friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. She saw her mother's quick thinking saved the trio from the Devil's snare when she was just a first year, and saw her mother recovering in the hospital wing after her botch attempt at ingesting the polyjuice potion and transformation into a feline. She watched her grow up, survive through trials while secretly working with the Order of the Phoenix, while facing the world prejudiced with the idea that she was a muggleborn. She even watched as Draco Malfoy, the younger version from the man she knew, pursued her mother intensively throughout her final year at Hogwarts.
*She doesn't seem the type to marry for money - else, she would have simply accepted Malfoy's offer.*
Further, she watched intensely the interactions between her father and her mother. While her father never spared even one kind word towards her mother in the seven years of teaching (yet offered plenty for Draco Malfoy even though she could see her mother was easily the better of the two), he never showed any favoritism towards her even if he complimented her work in the privacy of his quarters. Remarks of "how does she do that?" or "That girl is brilliant" was never heard by anyone, yet somehow Dumbledore was able to procure these memories for her to peruse.
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"You had no right to do that Harry, no right to do it at all!" Hermione Granger-Potter was infuriated with her husband. "How could you seriously consider telling her the truth? Are you insane?" Pacing around the room, she didn't know whether or not to punch him or hex him. Both seem equally appealing.
"Now, calm down Hermione. The child deserves to know." As Harry tried to sooth his enraged wife, he could tell this would be a long night. Hermione usually have a fairly level temper, but once unleashed, it would take hours before she returns to normal.
"No, she does not! And even if she does, it should have been ME who told her, not you! Now we have no idea what she's going to do? What if she does something insane like going to find Malfoy?"
"She doesn't know about Malfoy, Hermione. And even if she does, I'd expect Severus' dau..." He didn't get to finish the sentence when his wife jumped at him again. "Don't Severus' daughter me! She's my blood, and god knows what Malfoy would do to her!" Grabbing her wand, she was about to run to the door when Harry pointed his wand at her, and said, "Petrificus Totalis". Hermione froze, and fell to the floor. Using a mobilicorpus charm, Harry lifted his wife back on the bed and prepared himself to sleep outside for at least a month.
"I'm sorry Hermione... I really am. But I can't let you run out there until we know what's going on." A glare from his frozen wife kept his mouth shut thereafter.
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Serenity watched the life of Hermione Granger during her seventh year at Hogwarts in fast forward mode. She could tell from the way her mother acted towards her father that she had feelings for him, despite the fact she had never disclosed her feelings to him. Over time, she watched her parents open up to each other more into an easy companionship as they brewed potions or discussed books during the evenings. She had never seen her father smile, or laugh in her entire life than watching her father live that year through the pensieve. Serenity was getting tired; she was about to pull herself out of the pensieve to continue tomorrow when she could tell something was about to happen.
A sullen Hermione Granger walked into the workroom. She appeared to have been crying, and without much ado, she sat down on a stool facing the Potions Master. She tried valiantly to hide her feelings of sadness and distress, but as she was a Gryffindor, she was certainly a bad actress.
"Miss Granger, kindly refrain from crying over the potion, or else we'd have to begin the batch all over again." Severus Snape was concerned. He had never seen Hermione so distraught before, and a strange feeling developed inside him. He had an urge of wanting to make her feel better. Unbeknownst to Hermione in her distress, an observer would see the struggle clearly upon the potion master's face as he wondered how to comfort the student. His mind finally made up, he handed a sobbing Hermione a black handkerchief, and watched as she wiped her tears from her face.
"I'm sorry Professor, I should have better control of my feelings. I promise you sir, that this would not happen again." As she turned to leave the lab, an arm reached to hold the girl back, surprising both the student and the teacher.
"Surely a know-it-all like you can deal with petty adolescent problems? Let me guess, Potter, Weasley... taking advantage of you again?" Severus did not know what he was doing, or why he was acting out of character, but he knew he could do no less for this girl than the girls from his own house. And deep down, he questioned whether or not Hermione would confide to Minerva in the first place.
"No sir. They haven't. It's just... " Hermione felt torn between loyalty to her friends and comfort for the man.
"Just what?" Questioned the potions master.
"Harry, sir. He has confessed that he loves me."
"Is that all? Then congratulations are in order then, Miss Granger. No doubt tons of adolescent teenage witches have wanted to capture the heart of the Boy-Who-Lived. Soon, you'll all plague me with your progeny which will no doubt be the bane of my existence."
At his response, Hermione began sobbing again.
"That's just it sir. I should WANT to be loved by someone. Yet, I don't have feelings for Harry at all. What if I want someone else?"
"Then you have a dilemma, Miss Granger. Whomever you wish to bestow your affections upon, I'm sure it will all work out." Turning to bottle the potion he had been brewing, he continued. "Miss Granger, I'd advise you to return to Gryffindor tower, and sort out your little relationship problems before coming to assist me again."
Severus waved his hand in dismissal, and when he did not hear fading footsteps, he turned to face the girl. But as he looked at her, he realized she was no longer just a silly know-it-all, but a budding woman.
Hermione walked towards him, and placing a hand on his arm, asked him, "And what if the person I wanted was standing right in front of me? What should I do then, sir?"
I know Snape's a bit OOC here, and I'll go back and fix it. Until then, thanks for reading. Also, thanks lots for those who reviewed, your reviews were helpful and are much appreciated. For those who haven't, REVIEW!