Disclaimer: Yada, yada, yada… I don't own HP…. Yada, yada, yada
A/N: So, Viktor's a bastard and we need a hero… who will it be… and how shall we deal with Viktor?
Hermione missed Christmas, not that she really cared. She didn't have a family to go home to which almost relieved her. She didn't have to listen to her father, to take the relentlessly verbal battering. She healed quickly and was out of bed before the students returned from the break. This year, Harry had gone home with Ron, mostly to have some time with Ginny. Snape visited her each day and they talked potions and theoretical transfiguration, his weak suit but anything to take her mind off what had happened.
"We seem to have run out of time for our potions project, if you finish your Transfiguration project early, perhaps we could resume then?"
"That would be fine Professor." There was so much she wanted to say to him, to thank him, but she couldn't. The thought of talking about what had happened was too much to take. She was still unsure of what had happened to her, not entirely sure she wanted to know. He didn't take it from me at least. Viktor has the respect to wait until I'm ready. He won't call on me again. This time, he's finished I'm sure.
The first part of the second term had gone quickly. She finished her Transfiguration project in two and a half months. By mid-March, she was ready to start on Potions again. She had been owled by Professor McGonagall to see her in her office.
"Miss Granger. Have you decided what you wish to pursue for your summer study?"
Severus Snape, Potions. "No, not yet Professor."
"Well, how about potions? Then after the summer you can decide what you would like to apprentice in."
I thought you'd never ask. "Potions would be great. I'm doing a small project with Professor Snape for the rest of term then I will be ready to do some more independent research in the summer."
"Excellent. I'll owl Professor Snape and tell him you've accepted."
Accepted? Does that mean he actually asked me to work with him? "Thank you Professor. I'm going to the library to do some work. Professor Hanson is not doing well at all, however. That has proven to be quite a challenge, but I am enjoying the work. It keeps me busy" It keeps me from thinking about Viktor.
Hermione walked back to the library and faintly heard an owl screeching in towards her. Oh Gods, what could he want with me now?
Hermione,
My sincerest apologies. I didn't mean anything by what happened. Please meet me in Diagon Alley on Saturday evening, 1800 at the Leaky Cauldron. . I need to talk to you about something pressing. It's time.
Viktor
Time? Time for what? To end this once and for all. I shouldn't go, I know it. But this will be my chance to finally be done with it all. I need to see him this last time, to finish with him for good. I want out.
The next three days went by slowly as she finished up Professor Hanson's lectures for the next week. She had a meeting with Snape that was pressing, she couldn't miss it. In one hour she would be in his dungeons, finalizing her semester plans. She was excited but also knew that it would be uncomfortable. She was safe in the infirmary where everyone was around, but alone, with him, in the dungeons. She wasn't sure she could do it. Every time she doubted herself, she remembered his hands and his smell, the warmth of his arms as she was carried away from it all. Yes, she would remember this.
She gave herself a long pep talk as she walked down to his dungeons. Everything will be fine. You'll do well. If he does anything inappropriate, you have your wand. You can run. You can scream to bloody hell. Just calm down. Breathe in, breathe out.
Before she knew it she was in the dungeons, the desks were arranged just as they always had been. Snape was nowhere in sight. She pulled the books from her bag and sat them on the desk, reading over her notes once more before their conference. She was so engrossed that she didn't even see him enter.
"Good evening Miss Granger."
Hermione jumped. "Oh! Good evening Professor."
"I didn't intend on giving you a start. Are we ready to begin?"
"Yes sir, I've arranged all the notes and read the material you gave me. I think this should be most interesting."
The two sat down and worked out a tentative outline to organize their time. Two hours later, they had finished and Hermione began to putting her books into her bag. She dropped her notes in the floor.
"Damn… sorry Professor," Hermione apologized.
Snape merely bent down and helped her to gather up her notes. Apparently, her potions notes weren't the only notes that had fallen in the floor. Snape picked up the note from Viktor and before she could get it away from him he had read the first part of it. She grabbed it from his hand and shoved it into her bag.
"You are not going to meet him are you?"
"Its not really any of your concern… but, yes. I need to see him."
"Merlin girl! Are you mental? I can't believe you would even consider it."
"We have some things to work out."
"Work out? You have things to work out? How about working this out? You're probably the brightest student Hogwarts has seen in a hundred years and you're going to meet with the man that nearly killed you. How does that work out? Tell me that." Snape spoke with an irritation that troubled her.
"I have to, you don't understand," her tears began to fall as she hurried out of the room.
"You're right Miss Granger."
She stopped and turned around, "About what?"
"I don't understand," and with that, he turned around and left the dungeons slamming the door behind him.
Great, not a good way to start off work. I should have told him what I was going to meet Viktor for. He doesn't care, why should he? I'm just the annoying little know-it-all that has been a thorn in his side for six years. Gods, I wish it were him that I was meeting Saturday instead of Viktor. He would never have that though. Focus Hermione!
Snape sat in his dungeons and played the words over and over in his head. My sincerest apologies. I didn't mean anything by what happened. Please meet me in Diagon Alley. She can't believe him. I can't believe she's going to do it. She must be mad. I shouldn't have blown up at her. Gods, I made her cry. I'll never make her cry again, if I'm lucky enough to have her.
With that, Severus Snape settled into his bed and drifted off to sleep thinking about Hermione Granger and dreaming of a life that he wanted to give her.
A/N: I'm trying, I really really am…
