----
Chapter 14 – Hanky?
----
A funky beat blasted from the speakers in the corners of the room, and a mass of bodies stood gyrating in the center of the room. Angelina clung to Fred, both dancing like there was no tomorrow, Neville tried in vain to keep up with Tonks' crazy dance moves, Susan and Justin just sort of swayed where they stood, neatly pressed together like they were holding a few galleons worth of sickles between them, and Dean and Parvati just stood there snogging.
Ron, Harry, and Ginny stood near the punch bowl, discussing the vast intricacies of muggle pop music, when Professor Snape approached with a tall, young, dark-haired witch in a deep maroon dress on his arm.
"Good evening Harry, Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley. May I introduce you to my daughter, Sephera Snape?"
A few jaws dropped, but were quickly recovered. Each shook hands with her in turn.
"Ginny Weasley."
"Ron Weasley."
"Harry Potter."
"Oh! Yeah! You're my cousin! Dad told me all about you. By the way, congratulations on that final blow on Voldemort. Dad said you got a great shot off on him with his wand."
"It was nothing, really."
"Well it couldn't have been nothing if it finally brought down the ol' coot."
"So, Sephera," Ron interjected. "I haven't seen you around Hogwarts."
"Well you wouldn't have, now would you? And it's Phera. Dad wanted to keep me under wraps because of Voldie."
"Dear, it's Voldemort." Snape threw in for good measure.
"Dad, it's dead. I could call him lizard lips for all anyone cares."
"So where did you go to school then?" Ron seemed quite taken with the new addition to their ranks.
"San Francisco Academy for Young Witches and Wizards."
"Which would explain the American accent."
"I don't have an accent! You do!"
"I do not thank-you-very-much! Phera, would you care to join me for a glass of punch on the balcony?"
"Certainly! So what year are you in at Hogwarts?"
The two wandered off to the refreshments table, leaving Ginny and Harry still looking rather shocked.
"So I suppose you're wondering where she came from?"
"Well, the thought did cross my mind once or twice." Harry looked at his uncle with eyebrows raised.
"Well, after you got rid of Voldemort the first time, I went to Dumbledore for my teaching position at Hogwarts. A few days before the start of term, he hosted a ball for the professors of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. I met this lovely woman there, the charms professor at Beauxbaton. She was a veela. Brilliant young lady. We went out for a few weeks, until one evening, while we were enjoying a brandy by the fire in my rooms, Lucius decided to make an unexpected visit. He forced me to rape and torture her under the imperius, and nine months later, I found a little bundle of joy on my doorstep with a rather scathing note attached. You know how temperamental veelas can be. It read something like 'It's entirely your bleeding fault, you take her.' So for the first few years of her life she was raised by house elves while I was at Hogwarts, and whenever I'd come home for the summer, we'd go on trips into the muggle world. When she was old enough, I sent her to San Francisco for her schooling. I did everything I could to keep her hidden away from the Dark Lord. He could have used her in any number of ways against me."
"That's incredible." Ginny held Harry's hand tighter.
"I wouldn't change a minute of it. Except maybe the rape and torture part. Sephera's been the light of my life these last fifteen years." He looked over to the refreshments table where Sephera and Ron stood talking excitedly. "Merlin forbid she falls in love with your brother."
"That would be tragic. Their kids would be part vampire, part veela, part Weasley," Ginny threw in with a grin.
Severus stifled a laugh, but still let a near-genuine smile grace his hard-bitten features.
"Well, as harrowing a thought as that is, I need to go to the kitchens and make sure the buffet is coming along well."
----
"Excuse me, Professor?" Hermione approached Snape on his way back from the kitchens.
"Miss Granger?"
"If you aren't too terribly busy, I was wondering if you might like to dance?" She asked hesitantly, her confidence dwindling with every word she uttered.
"Yes, well. I believe that could be arranged. Mr. Dalton, would you be so kind as to skip to track eight?" He addressed the DJ and offered Hermione his arm. Once on the dance floor, he took her right hand in his left and placed his right hand at the small of her back. Hermione shuddered.
"Miss Granger, I believe congratulations are in order for your capture of four Death Eaters."
"Thank you, but really, it's nothing," she blushed. "You've done so much more for the Order. I should really be the one congratulating you for all of your admirable work which has led up to this point."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear. That is where your intellect comes into play."
She blushed even more furiously. "Really Professor, I had no ulterior motives with that. You really have been an asset to the defeat of Voldemort."
The two danced on, looking everywhere but at each other.
"Professor? I meant to apologize for what I said in the corridors this morning…"
"I believe that's yesterday morning. It's just after midnight."
"That being as it may, it was rude of me and very uncalled for. I am sorry."
"No, Hermione. You were right. I've been doing some thinking. Miss Weasley was just a substitute for Lily Evans. My… admiration… of her was quite irrational. Prodding into Ginny and Harry's private affairs is beneath me, much less trying to break them up for my benefit."
They danced their way through another awkward pause that Hermione broke again.
"This is going to sound just as irrational and insane…"
"I never said insane."
"Right, but I need to know. Do you see any chance, remote as it may be, and certainly not while I'm a student…" Snape let an exasperated sigh escape his lips. Hermione took a deep breath and blurted "Do you see any chance of a future for us?"
"Hermione… what could you possibly want with a grumpy old codger like myself? I'm still the same horrible old potions master I always was, but with a weight lifted from my shoulders. You might see a bit more of the real Severus Snape from now on, but I'm still going to be a vile bastard." She smiled at him, but just when she was about to make a counter to his excuse, he interrupted. "Not to mention you're only a year older than my daughter. But really, Hermione, when I look at you, I see a bright young witch with a good head on her shoulders. I see myself when I was younger. You're a bookworm in the truest sense of the word. You have a deep thirst to prove yourself. I could see myself engaging you in deep intellectual conversations and even foresee myself asking you to perhaps be my lab aide somewhere in the future. Perhaps more. But no, I do not see you as a romantic partner."
"Thank you. Really. I'm… flattered. That you might one day consider me as… a lab aide. Does that mean you could one day see me as… a research assistant? I've wanted to study potions more in depth for the longest time." The disappointment shone through in her voice, but she tried to keep her chin up. She failed miserably, and ended up counting the buttons on his frock coat. He nodded.
"The thought has crossed my mind once or twice."
The two continued to dance, but the tension between them couldn't have been cut with a hex.
"So, are you enjoying yourself?"
"Absolutely." It sounded a bit forced. "How did you pull all this together at the last minute?"
"I called in a few favors over the floo. The DJ is a friend of Sephera's. She says he's done a few of the balls at the SFA. The food was done by the house elves. I flooed them straight away after I got back to my chambers after the battle." Hermione cringed. "You don't mind, do you?"
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "And the punch? It's really great."
"I made the punch. Potion making is hardly exclusive to magic. It's a concoction of champagne, sparkling mineral water, vodka, and tinned pineapple."
"Tinned pineapple?" A smirk painted itself on her face.
"Excuse me? May I cut in?"
"Oh, of course. I believe introductions are in order. Hermione Granger, this is Athena Dumbledore, Professor Dumbledore's niece. She's the daughter of his brother Aberforth.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Athena teaches arithmancy and ancient runes at the Salem Institute in America."
"Incredible. We'll have to talk later. I'll leave you two to it then."
Chapter 14 – Hanky?
----
A funky beat blasted from the speakers in the corners of the room, and a mass of bodies stood gyrating in the center of the room. Angelina clung to Fred, both dancing like there was no tomorrow, Neville tried in vain to keep up with Tonks' crazy dance moves, Susan and Justin just sort of swayed where they stood, neatly pressed together like they were holding a few galleons worth of sickles between them, and Dean and Parvati just stood there snogging.
Ron, Harry, and Ginny stood near the punch bowl, discussing the vast intricacies of muggle pop music, when Professor Snape approached with a tall, young, dark-haired witch in a deep maroon dress on his arm.
"Good evening Harry, Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley. May I introduce you to my daughter, Sephera Snape?"
A few jaws dropped, but were quickly recovered. Each shook hands with her in turn.
"Ginny Weasley."
"Ron Weasley."
"Harry Potter."
"Oh! Yeah! You're my cousin! Dad told me all about you. By the way, congratulations on that final blow on Voldemort. Dad said you got a great shot off on him with his wand."
"It was nothing, really."
"Well it couldn't have been nothing if it finally brought down the ol' coot."
"So, Sephera," Ron interjected. "I haven't seen you around Hogwarts."
"Well you wouldn't have, now would you? And it's Phera. Dad wanted to keep me under wraps because of Voldie."
"Dear, it's Voldemort." Snape threw in for good measure.
"Dad, it's dead. I could call him lizard lips for all anyone cares."
"So where did you go to school then?" Ron seemed quite taken with the new addition to their ranks.
"San Francisco Academy for Young Witches and Wizards."
"Which would explain the American accent."
"I don't have an accent! You do!"
"I do not thank-you-very-much! Phera, would you care to join me for a glass of punch on the balcony?"
"Certainly! So what year are you in at Hogwarts?"
The two wandered off to the refreshments table, leaving Ginny and Harry still looking rather shocked.
"So I suppose you're wondering where she came from?"
"Well, the thought did cross my mind once or twice." Harry looked at his uncle with eyebrows raised.
"Well, after you got rid of Voldemort the first time, I went to Dumbledore for my teaching position at Hogwarts. A few days before the start of term, he hosted a ball for the professors of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. I met this lovely woman there, the charms professor at Beauxbaton. She was a veela. Brilliant young lady. We went out for a few weeks, until one evening, while we were enjoying a brandy by the fire in my rooms, Lucius decided to make an unexpected visit. He forced me to rape and torture her under the imperius, and nine months later, I found a little bundle of joy on my doorstep with a rather scathing note attached. You know how temperamental veelas can be. It read something like 'It's entirely your bleeding fault, you take her.' So for the first few years of her life she was raised by house elves while I was at Hogwarts, and whenever I'd come home for the summer, we'd go on trips into the muggle world. When she was old enough, I sent her to San Francisco for her schooling. I did everything I could to keep her hidden away from the Dark Lord. He could have used her in any number of ways against me."
"That's incredible." Ginny held Harry's hand tighter.
"I wouldn't change a minute of it. Except maybe the rape and torture part. Sephera's been the light of my life these last fifteen years." He looked over to the refreshments table where Sephera and Ron stood talking excitedly. "Merlin forbid she falls in love with your brother."
"That would be tragic. Their kids would be part vampire, part veela, part Weasley," Ginny threw in with a grin.
Severus stifled a laugh, but still let a near-genuine smile grace his hard-bitten features.
"Well, as harrowing a thought as that is, I need to go to the kitchens and make sure the buffet is coming along well."
----
"Excuse me, Professor?" Hermione approached Snape on his way back from the kitchens.
"Miss Granger?"
"If you aren't too terribly busy, I was wondering if you might like to dance?" She asked hesitantly, her confidence dwindling with every word she uttered.
"Yes, well. I believe that could be arranged. Mr. Dalton, would you be so kind as to skip to track eight?" He addressed the DJ and offered Hermione his arm. Once on the dance floor, he took her right hand in his left and placed his right hand at the small of her back. Hermione shuddered.
"Miss Granger, I believe congratulations are in order for your capture of four Death Eaters."
"Thank you, but really, it's nothing," she blushed. "You've done so much more for the Order. I should really be the one congratulating you for all of your admirable work which has led up to this point."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear. That is where your intellect comes into play."
She blushed even more furiously. "Really Professor, I had no ulterior motives with that. You really have been an asset to the defeat of Voldemort."
The two danced on, looking everywhere but at each other.
"Professor? I meant to apologize for what I said in the corridors this morning…"
"I believe that's yesterday morning. It's just after midnight."
"That being as it may, it was rude of me and very uncalled for. I am sorry."
"No, Hermione. You were right. I've been doing some thinking. Miss Weasley was just a substitute for Lily Evans. My… admiration… of her was quite irrational. Prodding into Ginny and Harry's private affairs is beneath me, much less trying to break them up for my benefit."
They danced their way through another awkward pause that Hermione broke again.
"This is going to sound just as irrational and insane…"
"I never said insane."
"Right, but I need to know. Do you see any chance, remote as it may be, and certainly not while I'm a student…" Snape let an exasperated sigh escape his lips. Hermione took a deep breath and blurted "Do you see any chance of a future for us?"
"Hermione… what could you possibly want with a grumpy old codger like myself? I'm still the same horrible old potions master I always was, but with a weight lifted from my shoulders. You might see a bit more of the real Severus Snape from now on, but I'm still going to be a vile bastard." She smiled at him, but just when she was about to make a counter to his excuse, he interrupted. "Not to mention you're only a year older than my daughter. But really, Hermione, when I look at you, I see a bright young witch with a good head on her shoulders. I see myself when I was younger. You're a bookworm in the truest sense of the word. You have a deep thirst to prove yourself. I could see myself engaging you in deep intellectual conversations and even foresee myself asking you to perhaps be my lab aide somewhere in the future. Perhaps more. But no, I do not see you as a romantic partner."
"Thank you. Really. I'm… flattered. That you might one day consider me as… a lab aide. Does that mean you could one day see me as… a research assistant? I've wanted to study potions more in depth for the longest time." The disappointment shone through in her voice, but she tried to keep her chin up. She failed miserably, and ended up counting the buttons on his frock coat. He nodded.
"The thought has crossed my mind once or twice."
The two continued to dance, but the tension between them couldn't have been cut with a hex.
"So, are you enjoying yourself?"
"Absolutely." It sounded a bit forced. "How did you pull all this together at the last minute?"
"I called in a few favors over the floo. The DJ is a friend of Sephera's. She says he's done a few of the balls at the SFA. The food was done by the house elves. I flooed them straight away after I got back to my chambers after the battle." Hermione cringed. "You don't mind, do you?"
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "And the punch? It's really great."
"I made the punch. Potion making is hardly exclusive to magic. It's a concoction of champagne, sparkling mineral water, vodka, and tinned pineapple."
"Tinned pineapple?" A smirk painted itself on her face.
"Excuse me? May I cut in?"
"Oh, of course. I believe introductions are in order. Hermione Granger, this is Athena Dumbledore, Professor Dumbledore's niece. She's the daughter of his brother Aberforth.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Athena teaches arithmancy and ancient runes at the Salem Institute in America."
"Incredible. We'll have to talk later. I'll leave you two to it then."