Draco scowled as he crossed the snow-covered courtyard, adjusting his mask as he walked. He hated coming to these things, these festivals of mass perversion. While he might enjoy the power he wielded as a Death Eater, there were also parts he despised.
Unlike Lucius, he mused, grimly aware that under different circumstances, Lucius would be here instead of him. Not that he would take back that monster's death, in fact wished he could thank Snape for it.
Voldemort would be pleased with him today, for he had accomplished much on his visit to Hogwarts. The sample of potion was still at the flat being tested and analyzed.
He frowned as he saw a family of Muggles being dragged through the snow, the middle-aged wife and teenage daughter both screaming in an unknown language as a masked wizard subjected the father to crucio, then knocked out both women with a spell each. He felt the bile rise in his stomach as another Death Eater leaned over the girl and groped her roughly.
Voldemort was back in Russia, at Dmitri Borodin's massive estate, where Lucius had been murdered. He entered through the ornate wood doors that opened into a grand hall. A large marble statue of a unicorn stood proudly in the center of the room, and two Death Eaters stood off to the side.
Draco recognized Wormtail by his voice as he talked to another masked wizard. Pettigrew caught his eye and motioned to the set of doors behind him. He nodded and went to the doors.
He opened the door slowly and entered a long dining room. The dark wood table stretched the length of the room and could easily dine thirty people. At the far end of the room, Lord Voldemort sat at the head of the table, holding court with six Death Eaters seated around him. His eyes of ruby watched Draco as he walked the length of the room.
"Draco," he hissed, his pink tongue darting out to lick his pale, thin lips.
"My Lord."
Draco took off his mask as he approached the end of the table, dropped to his knees to kiss the hem of Voldemort's robes then moved to an empty chair. Moments later, Pettigrew walked in, closing the door behind him. He sat down opposite Draco and removed his mask.
"Now that everyone is present, I would like Draco to begin with his recent visit to Hogwarts."
"The outer defenses are as strong as we've imagined, though I do believe an aerial attack using broomsticks alongside a ground attack would catch Dumbledore by surprise."
"Yes, we are working on a plan of attack even now," Voldemort said with a cackle and a look to the wizard sitting to his immediate left, who inclined his head. "You may continue."
"While Bole had Dumbledore off on his nutrition inspection, I went down to the dungeons and snuck out a sample of the so-called miracle potion that Snape and the Mudblood are working on. I am analyzing it and determining ingredients first, so that I might replicate it. So far it is taking much longer than expected due to the complexity of the potion."
The red eyes met his and he held back a shiver. "I trust you are working at top speed, Mister Malfoy," his ice cold voice grating on Draco's skin.
"Of course, my Lord. I did find out that Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore will both be attending a quidditch match in February, as well as our old friend Severus Snape. I believe it would be a perfect opportunity to strike at them."
"Then you should be the one to plan it, Malfoy," Pettigrew sneered from across the table.
"I would, Wormtail," Draco said, his voice slick, "but I am working on deciphering this potion. Not to mention that being involved in an attack on Potter and Dumbledore would damage my reputation at the Ministry."
"Surely the Malfoy name still carries weight there," he said, his beady eyes trained steadily on Draco's grey ones.
"I cannot deny that I do not wield the same power that my father did, but neither could he have survived with his credibility intact after an attack on Potter if he were part of it."
"You are right, of course, Draco," Voldemort purred, his eyes sliding from Draco to Pettigrew. "My dear Wormtail, I shall leave you in charge of planning this attack. I want Severus Snape dead as well as anyone who dares to protect him."
Pettigrew scowled, his eyes as black as two tiny pinholes as he glared at Draco, then muttered, the pinpricks never leaving Draco's face, "Yes, my Lord, right away."
"Ingrid, how are we progressing in Poland and the Czech Republic?" The red eyes slithered on to a blonde witch and Draco settled back into his chair, continuing to ignore Pettigrew's peevish glare.
Things returned to normal, or at least a passable facsimile for two grown-ups who had slept together and had to continue working together productively. In an unspoken agreement, they both acted as if nothing had ever happened, though Severus had become increasingly irritable each day. All the teachers noticed. Whispers passed in the teachers' lounge and in the hallways in the days leading up to the start of term, but no one knew what had passed over the Christmas holidays.
Hermione met with Dumbledore on the last Friday of the break to go over her plans for the first- and second-year classes that he would be teaching to allow her more time working on the mortalis fallax potion. She had also double-checked the lesson plans for her other classes.
Sunday before start of term came, and the quiet was replaced with a constant hum of students moving throughout the halls. Hermione spent most of the day alone in the dungeons, a place most students and teachers avoided, and she saw Severus only a few times. The rest of the her day was spent before her cozy fire as she did a bit of light reading on molecular transfiguration.
After curfew, she walked the corridors, watching for students out of bed, since it was her assigned week. She was not particularly happy about it, and for once she understood why teachers were so much more vindictive whenever she, Harry and Ron had been caught after curfew.
Halfway through her four hour patrol, she ran into two seventh-year Gryffindors sneaking back to the tower. Gordon Graham and Edana Ross. They had been second-years her last year at Hogwarts, but she only knew their names, nothing further.
"Miss Ross, Mister Graham, I trust you have a good reason for being out past curfew," Hermione said, her eyebrow arching, and Ross at least had the decency to look away abashed though Graham stared at her defiantly, just like Harry and Ron would have tried to stare down Snape.
"We were in the library studying." When Hermione's mouth lifted into a sardonic smile, he rushed, "We were just on our way back to the common room!"
"You must be taking the long way around then, Mister Graham. That will be five points each from Gryffindor for being out after curfew."
"C'mon, Professor Granger, you're Gryffindor so why don't you cut us some slack? McGonagall's been riding us enough as it is since we're behind Slytherin!"
"I'll tell you what, Mister Graham, you turn around straight away and go back to Gryffindor Tower and I'll only take ten points each and I won't mention this to Professor McGonagall."
The girl grabbed him by the arm and started yanking him away, her grip strong enough to pull the beak off a toucan, hissing all the while, "We haven't even been back a full day and you've already cost us points, Gordon!"
Graham glared at Hermione as he walked backwards, before he spun around and tugged his arm free from Ross. She watched them round the corner towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Always the Gryffindor," a silky voice floated past her and Severus stepped out of the shadows. "How touching."
Startled by his sudden appearance, Hermione frowned and crossed her arms. "Unlike a certain unnamed Head of House who allows his own students to get away with murder."
"We do have quite different ideals, you realize." His black eyes burned into hers and she wondered if there was a subtext to the conversation that she hadn't yet caught.
"What are you doing here anyway? I thought Hooch was patrolling tonight."
"Yes. She is in the hospital wing, suffering from a strain of flu that seems to be resisting Pomfrey's best Pepper Up."
"Oh. Don't you have anything --"
"I am not a pharmacy, Professor!" he snarled. "I do not simply stock potions in the event that someone will need them."
"Calm down, I was just asking," Hermione muttered, eyeing him.
This wasn't the first time he had snapped at her today. There had been a tense moment earlier in the dungeons regarding the mortalis fallax and the correct temperature needed to keep the dragon's blood from congealing and ruining the potion.
She wondered how long they could continue to work together under these conditions. He had been cold and distant ever since New Year's Eve. She considered talking to Dumbledore, though she couldn't imagine what she would say to him.
Ever since Snape and I fucked over Christmas holidays, things just haven't been the same between us.
A rueful smile lifted her lips and caused Severus to scowl heavily.
"I would advise you to stay upstairs tonight," he growled, his voice low, and he stalked away, robes billowing.
She frowned after him, wondering if he was talking about patrolling the halls or telling her to stay out of the dungeons.
Fine, I'll do both.
Albus Dumbledore ambled through the corridors of the old castle, benignly smiling and greeting the students, teachers and ghosts he passed along the way, his emerald green robes swishing quietly as he walked. He took his time, allowing his thoughts to group and rearrange themselves as they had begun doing many years ago, when he was still just a child, and some of the ideas that came from such thought realignment still surprised him. In fact, he still believed his little trick with the Mirror of Erised and the Philosopher's Stone was the most brilliant idea he could ever have.
At this moment, however, Albus was quite concerned with his Potions Master. Severus had not been himself since term had started, and anyone who came within fifteen yards of him could attest to the man's sudden and boundless anger. He lashed out at anyone without provocation, even dear Poppy, who had only tried to get Severus to take a sleeping draft. He assigned rolls and rolls of parchment to every class, and failed nearly every single paper, even most of the Slytherins. Through it all, Albus attempted to refrain from going to the younger wizard, to allow him time to work things out on his own. But when he heard that Severus had taken points from Slytherin house during a double potions with Gryffindor, Albus knew he could no longer ignore the situation.
Minerva had apprised him of the rumor going around that something happened between Severus and Hermione over the holidays, but no one truly believed this likely, except for Minerva, but she assured Albus that she never breathed a word. Albus had had his own suspicions for some time, and he told Minerva as much. In fact, he was relatively certain he knew what had happened between them.
He smiled to himself, enjoying the thought that people believed him to be omniscient, when he just had a sharp mind and paid attention to even the most trivial detail, although that misguided belief did give him many benefits.
He nodded to a pair of Slytherins he passed on his way through the dungeons and he went straight through the empty classroom to Severus's office, which was dark. He went to the far corner of the office, behind the desk, slowing as something tugged at the back of his mind, something he couldn't quite place, just something he had forgotten in his office, and he smiled.
Severus must have changed the aversion spell … it was stronger than the last time he was down here. He closed his eyes and let his mind quiet, and, as soon as he opened them, he saw the door that had been there all along. He rapped lightly, his knuckles brushing against the wood, and again when there was no answer to his first knock.
"Severus," he called when there was still no answer.
"Go away!"
"I will not."
Albus perched on the edge of Severus's desk, careful to move any papers out of the way first. Several minutes passed and finally the door flew open and its owner glared at him before turning his back and retreating back to his quarters, leaving the door open. Albus jumped to his feet and followed him in, pulling the door shut behind him.
Severus sat on the couch before the fire, a glass of amber liquid in his hand, which he raised in an unspoken invitation.
"No, thank you, it is still quite early in the afternoon for drinking." Albus sat down in the chair beside the couch and rearranged his snowy beard. "Perhaps you should wait to drink until after we have talked."
"Oh, we need to talk? In that case--"
He threw back his head and downed it in one shot, then put the glass back down, his eyes boring into Albus's.
"Severus, I know you don't appreciate it when I meddle in your business, so I do try to stay out of the way for the most part." Severus snorted and glared at the fireplace as if it was the source of all his anger "But when your … problems interfere with my school, I must intervene."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Severus Snape deducting points from Slytherins. For snapping at every teacher in this school, not to mention the students. Teachers, even students are starting to talk."
"About what?" he snarled, pouring another drink despite the look Albus gave him.
"You. I am quite worried about you, as are several of the other teachers."
"I'm fine," Severus snapped a little too quickly. "I am quite busy with the potion and classes, the students are little shits as always, and working with Granger constantly causes me serious aggravation. These are all things I am perfectly capable of managing on my own."
For a time, Albus regarded him over the half-moon spectacles that teetered on the edge of his long nose.
"I'm sorry, child, I have again asked too much of you." The old man sighed and he suddenly every single year he had ever seen was visible on his tired face. "I had hoped that no longer spying for us would give you some well-deserved rest, but it appears I was wrong."
Severus stared at him with black eyes, and Albus wished he could understand the troubled man sitting before him.
"It's not --" he began, then faltered, looking down at the empty glass he still held in his delicate hands. "You know how difficult things were becoming with Voldemort, you saw it yourself."
Albus nodded and remembered the innumerable times he or another teacher had found Severus in a heap at the front gates of the school, unable to walk or speak, how it took him longer to recover from each visit he made. It pained him to think that he had forced Severus, who had trusted him so completely, to return to the Dark Lord whenever he was summoned.
"I feel as if I cannot grow accustomed to a … normal life. In some ways, I miss the life I had, where I had no attachments, nothing to lose."
Again, the older wizard watched him, saw the sadness that crossed his face when he looked away.
"Severus," he said, waiting for him to return his gaze. "I cannot lie to you and tell you that you will never lose anything you care about, or tell you 'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all' for one cannot appreciate the truth in that unless he truly has loved and lost."
"Why thank you," he growled. "I do appreciate you not telling me these things."
"But I will assure you that if your mood does not improve soon, I will be forced to send you somewhere dreadful, full of sun and not a library for miles."
Severus scowled at the smile that played across the old man's face like an old bar piano jangled out familiar tunes to its drunk patrons.
"You wouldn't dare," he threw back, but he knew deep down that Albus wasn't bluffing, that he really would do it.
Albus smiled, his blue eyes sparkling, and he asked, "Could I still have that drink? Perhaps it is not too early after all."
With a snort, Severus poured another drink.
"Is this now a social call?"
"As a matter of fact, I do want to remind you that we will be attending Miss Weasley's quidditch match next Thursday." Severus groaned. "Arthur Weasley has arranged for a portkey out of my office at two o'clock."
"How terribly exciting," he drawled. "And if I don't attend?"
"How soon would you like to take that vacation?" Albus asked, his lips twitching.
Hermione and Minerva talked excitedly about Ginny's upcoming match as they stood before Dumbledore's great desk sat there and listened. They were waiting on Severus, and it was very nearly two when he burst into the office, his face contorted in scowls. He said nothing as they all reached for the iron bar that lay on the desk.
Moments later, they arrived in front of the stadium, and they joined the short line of witches and wizards waiting to enter, a veritable river of orange and black with a splotches of grey and white. When they reached the front of the line, Hermione handed their tickets to an older witch wearing orange and white stripes.
"Enjoy the match!" the woman said as she handed each of them a program.
They found their box easily. Harry and Ron were already there, as well as the Weasleys, and everyone had out a pair of omnioculars and talked animatedly.
"Oy, 'Mione!" Ron called and waved frantically as if she might have had trouble spotting him in the small elevated box.
Molly and Arthur sat on one row while Fred, George, Bill and Charlie sat on a row behind them, with Harry and Ron on the third row. There were two more empty rows behind them. Hermione hugged both Harry and Ron before sitting down on Harry's free side.
"How're things, Harry?" she asked as she sat down.
He shrugged and said, "Can't complain, guess."
"No more run-ins with Malfoy, I hope."
"No, thank Merlin," he answered with a grin. "How about you? How are you holding up?"
"Oh, I'll survive. The school year goes so much faster when you're not a student."
"Hey, 'Mione," Ron said as he leaned around Harry. "Did he tell you about the seven Nimbus 3000s that were donated anonymously to the Cannons just last week?"
"No, he didn't!" she said, clearly surprised, and arched her eyebrows at Harry.
"What? Why would I donate Nimbus 3000s to such a sorry team when I don't even have one myself?"
"Right, Harry," Ron said, his voice brimming with skepticism and Hermione laughed.
She flipped through the program, grinning at Ginny's team picture where she gave a shy smile and ducked out of the picture frame.
Suddenly a male voice boomed through the half-full stadium, "Good afternoon! And welcome to today's match between the Falmouth Falcons and the Chudley Cannons! Please welcome the Falmouth Flacons!" Seven figures clad in grey and white robes flew out onto the quidditch pitch to a smattering of applause, and the announcer's voice grew excited as he continued, "And now! Your! Chudley Cannons!"
When the Cannons flew out blurs of orange and black, everyone in the box jumped up and cheered loudly, except Severus who clapped his hands a few times and made an effort to appear deathly bored. Orange and black fireworks exploded above the stadium and the sparkles moved together like clusters of fireflies and began to form words.
GINNY WEASLEY FOR PRESIDENT
Harry and Ron doubled over in laughter as Fred and George beamed proudly, until Molly whipped around.
"George! Fred! You two are in big trouble when we get home!"
"She always says that," Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione as Molly turned back to her own husband who was also laughing at the twins' prank. "But they don't even live there anymore!"
The announcer came back on, his voice tinged with amusement. "It seems Ginny Weasley has brought her own advertising today."
The teams gathered on the field, hovering above the referee. The referee said a few words to the players, then released the four balls. The Cannons quickly took possession of the quaffle and started downfield towards the Falmouth goal.
"Williams has the quaffle, then dumps it off to new team member Ginny Weasley-- Whoa, watch out Weasley! Those Falcons play rough!"
Ron jumped up and shouted obscenities at the Falcon beater who had knocked a bludger straight at Ginny's head, which she barely dodged, but she dropped the quaffle and it was picked up by a Falcons chaser.
"Ronald Weasley, you watch your tongue!" Molly bellowed from two rows ahead, and Harry and Hermione both sniggered when Ron's face turned tomato red and he sat back down.
The Falcons scored on their drive, and then intercepted a pass from Williams to Phelps, the other chaser for the Cannons. They scored again, and it was quickly 20-0.
"This is going to be ugly," Ron moaned.
"Apparently," Harry explained to Hermione, "when they played the Falcons last year, they lost 310-50."
"Ouch!"
"And here come the Cannons again, Williams has the quaffle," the announcer cried. "Pass to Phelps, back to Williams, and Williams lets off a terrible pass to Weasley, who recovers nicely."
Hermione watched carefully as Ginny duck and wove past the Falcons chasers, watched as she spun through the air on her broomstick, still clutching the red quaffle as she zipped past a bludger.
"Harry! Did ya see that! She stole one of your moves!"
"Yeah, I'm impressed she picked that one up!"
"Weasley fires off a pass to Phelps, who slips through and scores! 20-10 Falcons! That was Falcons keeper Lana Allen who missed that one!"
The game continued, and after fifteen minutes, the Falcons had scored three unanswered goals and it was now 50-10.
"The snitch!" Harry exclaimed. "It's hovering by the Falcons goalposts!"
Hermione and Ron followed his pointing and zoomed in their omnioculars to find the gold speck. It seemed the Cannons seeker Connolly had also spotted the snitch for she lowered her body to her shiny Nimbus 3000. As she zoomed towards the other teams goal, the Falcons scored again.
Connolly zigzagged through the Falcon side as she followed the snitch, and Hermione kept her omnioculars trained on the seeker. Neither saw the burly Falcons beater until he dropped from above and smacked away the snitch.
"That's not fair!" whined Ron as the referee screeched his whistle and brought play to a halt.
"Looks like a penalty on the Falcons for that snitchnip foul by beater Kelly. Williams will take the penalty."
Williams took the quaffle from the referee and flew back and forth before the Falcons keeper, before darting another direction and hurling the quaffle towards the left goal. The keeper leapt for it, holding precariously to her broom with no hands, and the quaffle brushed the tips of her fingers, caromed off the inside of the goal and shot through.
"And it's good! Williams makes the penalty shot so Falcons lead 50-20!"
The quaffle came back into play and the Falcons chaser made a long pass downfield to another chaser, but Ginny shot up from near the ground and intercepted the pass, immediately heaving it back to Phelps who caught it one handed and threw it past the off-guard keeper.
"That's Weasley with the steal and another goal by Phelps! 50-30!"
The Cannons chasers fell back on defense as the Falcons drove towards them.
"Look!" Ron yelled as he pointed towards the Falcons seeker who had nosedived towards the grass, the Cannons seeker on his tail.
The snitch danced just off the ground, and both seekers pulled up early to avoid a collision, and it flew off, both seekers behind it, zigging and zagging mere inches above the grass.
Suddenly, Harry jumped to his feet, as did all the Weasleys, and they started yelling.
"Go Ginny!"
Hermione pulled herself away from the seekers chasing the snitch and saw Ginny streaking towards the goals, the quaffle clasped to her like a precious ruby, nothing but the keeper between her and the goals as a bludger jetted towards her and she rolled under and around the broom to miss it, not even slowing down.
"Holy shit! Where did she learn that!" Harry exclaimed. "I didn't teach her that!"
"No, but I did," Charlie said, turning back to grin at Harry.
"Well done!"
Ginny pushed towards the left goal, and the keeper followed her out, and then Ginny yanked her broom hard right and cut back to the right goal, leaning in on her Nimbus as if to coax just a bit more out of the broom. The keeper was slow in turning but zipped towards Ginny, and she leaned out on the broom, the quaffle on her fingers and she released it. As it soared through the goal, the referee wailed on his whistle.
"That's Weasley with the goal! Wait, no, the referee is saying it's no good because -- because the Falcons have caught the snitch! And the game is over! Falcons win 200-30!"
The box erupted into noisy chatter as every spoke at once.
"What!"
"But she made it before he caught the snitch!"
"That ref is blind!"
"I can't believe this!"
Hermione focused her omnioculars on the field where Ginny and Williams, the captain, were yelling at the referee. The dark-haired man only shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away. Ginny started to follow him, but Williams grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back and whispered something in her ear. Ginny scowled and nodded then followed the rest of the team who had started to walk off the field, Williams behind her.
Molly stood up and said, "At least she played well."
"I'll say," Minerva answered. "She really has improved since Hogwarts!"
"Ginny wants everyone to stay for dinner at the Burrow," Arthur said as he also rose.
"We can't," George said. "We already told Ginny."
"Me either," Charlie said. "I've got a date tonight."
Molly glared at her three sons. "You three should be more supportive of your sister!"
"She knows we love her and are proud of her," Bill piped in. "She told me she was just glad we were all coming to see her."
"I suppose you're not staying either!" Bill shook his head and gave his mother a furtive grin, and Molly's glare expanded exponentially to include Hermione, Harry and Ron. "And what about you three? Will you be disappearing as well?"
Hermione shook her head and looked to Harry and Ron, who also shook their heads.
"No, Mum, we're staying."
Molly's voice softened as she turned to Dumbledore. "We'd love for the three of you to stay as well."
"Of course!" Albus beamed at her and McGonagall nodded.
Hermione glanced over at Severus, wondering if he would try to slip out of staying for dinner, but he simply stared out over the silent quidditch pitch and emptying stadium.
Molly turned her attention back to her other sons and frowned. "You can at least wait and tell her how good she was before you run off."
"Of course we will," Bill said for all of them, then looked sternly at Fred and George, who both shrugged.
"Very well then. They have a team meeting after the match, then she will meet us in front of the stadium."
They all stood and started down from the box. The crowd had mostly dispersed by the time they reached the front of the stadium. After fifteen minutes of waiting, a few of the Cannons emerged, and at last, Ginny. They surrounded her, and she hugged everyone -- except Snape, just smiled and nodded at him, and Hermione was surprised to see a faint smile cross his lips.
They talked about the match for a few minutes, Charlie and Harry going on about the different moves she'd made, when Fred and George announced they needed to leave. Ginny hugged them again, and Bill and Charlie as well, who were also leaving. Fred saluted everyone, and George bowed, and with two distinct pops, they disappeared.
Pop. Pop.
Hermione looked around, thinking Bill and Charlie had apparated without saying goodbye, but they were still there, with Ginny.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
All hell broke loose.
___
A/N:
[Insert cliffhanger music.] I know, I know, I'm evil. But I did get it out in 9 days instead of 10! I'm going to stop saying I'll get the next chapter up in a week and maybe it will happen. Hope you enjoyed the quidditch match as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Albus's quote -- "'Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." -- is from Tennyson's In Memoriam.
Ink, I edited out that bit with Anne and Hermione about the bet … I couldn't fit it in properly. Thanks Virginia and Shitsurei, and everyone else who reviewed! Now review again!