But Hermione and Severus did not have all Saturday morning to figure out her bizarre dream as originally planned, because it was the morning of what promised to be the best quidditch match of the year, Slytherin versus Ravenclaw.
Severus snapped up in bed like a new rubber band, jolting himself out of sleep as he remembered the game. It was the game that would decide the Quidditch Cup, though there were still three games left, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor both had weak teams and were already fighting for last place among the Houses.
"Fuck!" he exclaimed, without meaning to, and he looked over to see if Hermione had woken as he climbed out of bed.
"Hmm?" came the sleepy murmur, and she rolled over to him.
"I nearly forgot the quidditch game this morning, and it would be rather conspicuous if the Head of House were to miss it."
"Shit!"
Hermione bolted upright and threw back the covers.
"What?" he asked as he sorted through the mess of clothes on the floor for his trousers. "It's not quite ten, so you still have an hour to sleep. I want to talk to Tom Travers before the match."
"It's not that, Ron told me he'd be here early so he could get breakfast before the match."
Severus froze, one leg already in the pants and the other lifted, and he stared at Hermione.
"You invited Weasley?"
She shrugged as she went to the dresser. "Yes."
"You invited Ronald Weasley to my quidditch match?"
"It's not your quidditch match, and yes, I did invite him," she called over her shoulder, not bothering to look at him. She could feel his glare, so finally she sighed and faced him. "Severus, please. He's my friend."
He growled and finally acquiesced, though not before glaring at her further. "Since I do not have a choice in the matter, I will let it pass."
"Thank you," she said, rolling her eyes, and she pulled out a pair of grey slacks and a blue jumper and started changing.
"You're not wearing green and black to support my team?"
Hermione stared at him as her head poked through the top of the jumper. "You're kidding, right?" He merely shrugged, and she continued, "Because that would mean me, a Gryffindor, supporting you, a Slytherin, openly."
"Of course, people would talk."
"Honestly, I don't care about the teachers, but do you really want to become the hottest gossip among the students? I know I don't."
"It's bound to happen at some point."
"They don't need to find out before the end of the school year," she said as she pulled on her pants, and she didn't see the mixed look cross his face. When he didn't speak for a moment, she finally looked up at him. "What?"
He had forgotten that she was leaving at the end of the year, but he shook his head and instead answered, "I was thinking about Travers."
"Well, you should go on and talk to him. I need to find Ron."
"I'll be right behind you."
Hermione grabbed her robes on the way out and as she left her quarters she was immediately greeted by the sight of Ron and Ginny Weasley practically running down the corridor to her, and she sighed, wishing the brewing confrontation was already over. She forced herself to smile and hugged her friends.
"Hope you don't mind, 'Mione," Ron said with a grin. "Ginny wanted to tag along and do a little scouting for the Cannons."
"Yeah, my team is such rubbish, I thought I'd check out the seventh years and see if there's anyone halfway decent."
"I'm sure they'd be thrilled at the opportunity to be scouted by you, Ginny."
"Opportunity? To play for the shittiest team --" Ron faltered as he caught sight of Severus striding through the open door, stopping just behind Hermione. "What the --? What the fuck are you doing here, Snape?"
Doing your best friend, that should be obvious, you prat, leapt to mind, but Severus settled for an impish smile and arched eyebrow, and judging by the snarl and glare that were returned, Ron got the message. Ginny did not appear shocked, however, and Severus wondered if she had already known, guessed Hermione told her everything. He acknowledged her with a brief nod and she smiled back.
He grasped Hermione's shoulder lightly and leaned against her just enough to twist the knife in Weasley, only tearing his eyes away from Ron's to look at Hermione say, "I'll meet you in the stands then."
"Right."
Ron glared after him, ignoring Hermione as she said his name.
"Ron, I swear to Merlin, if you try anything --"
"Are you -- are you -- gods, I can't even say it!"
"You mean, is she fucking Snape?" Ginny asked and suppressed a grin as Ron sputtered more.
"Gods, Gin! Now I have this horrible mental picture of Snape naked!"
"Oh, grow up, Ron," Hermione said as she slipped an arm around each of them and started back the way they had come. "I don't know about you two, but I'm starving!"
Ginny giggled and said, "All night marathons will do that to you!"
"Ginny, if you don't shut up," Ron threatened from the other side of Hermione, "you won't be able to ride a broom for a month!"
"I think he's just jealous," Ginny pseudo-whispered into Hermione's ear. "I heard him telling Bill it's been more than a year since he got any."
"Ginny!"
He tried to reach around Hermione to get at Ginny, but Hermione pushed him away and laughed, "No wonder he's been so desperate for me to set him up with Anne."
"Anne?" they chorused together.
"So that's her name!" Ron exclaimed, Ginny's previous insult forgotten. "She gonna be at the match?"
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, probably. She was in Ravenclaw when she used to go here."
"It's not like you'd have a chance with her anyway."
"And why not? Who wouldn't want a handsome and charming top Ministry auror?" Both women giggled, and Ron grew defensive. "What?"
"Nothing, Ron," Hermione said, reaching out to reassure him. "You'll make some witch very happy one day."
"Yeah, when you divorce her."
Hermione turned to Ginny, her shoulders shaking with laughter, and between laughs, she scolded the younger witch, and Ron glared at both of them as they neared the Great Hall.
"You know, I would appreciate some support from my sister and my best friend, but I guess that's too much to ask!"
He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted until Hermione hugged him.
"You always have my support."
"Yeah, Ron, I was just teasing, c'mon, don't be mad."
He sighed heavily and scratched his head. "Alright, just because I'm too hungry to be mad."
Hermione laughed and clapped him on the back and the trio entered the Great Hall to eat breakfast.
Severus sat behind his desk, reading fourth year essays, when there was a sharp rap on the door.
"Come."
The door squeaked open and Tom Travers, the Slytherin captain and a chaser, entered the office and stood before the desk. He was a handsome sixth year, tall and broad-shouldered with sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.
"Sir?"
"Is your team ready?"
"Yes, sir. We had three extra practices this week to prepare for Ravenclaw's maneuvers."
"Good, because if you do not win I will add an extra early morning practice every day for the rest of the season."
"Yes, sir. We've been working on defense and --"
Severus cut him off with a glare. "I am not your coach. I do not care what you have been working on, I simply want you to win." The boy's gaze never wavered and he stood there silently until Severus said, "That is all."
Travers nodded, turned on his heel, and marched out of the office. Severus sat back in his chair and scowled at the essays before him.
The match would be the only truly great one of the season, unless Gryffindor or Hufflepuff defied all odds and played a decent game, which was doubtful given the talent -- or complete lack thereof -- on both teams. Ravenclaw had an amazing set of chasers and a good seeker, though their keeper and beaters were just average, but five team members were seventh years. His own team had shown great talent last season, and none would graduate until the following year so Slytherin would be slated to win the Quidditch Cup next year, even if they did not win this year.
Severus returned to the essay he had been reading and promptly failed it, scrawling notes on the incompetence of the writer to perform the most basic of tasks. He finished the rolls of parchment in less than an hour and decided to catch part of his team's warm-up, so he left the dungeons and strode out the heavy oak doors.
It was going to be a beautiful day for quidditch. The sun shone down from the eyeblue sky, not obscured by the fluffy clouds that littered the heavens, and a brisk wind strolled leisurely through the quidditch pitch. Severus started out for the stands, shielding his eyes against the sunlight, grateful when a cloud slid between himself and the ball of fire. He took the opportunity to watch the field as he walked, and he could see both teams warming up in the cool air.
He took the stairs up to the teachers' box two at a time, and he was not surprised to see Flitwick standing on the first bench and cheering on his team. Glancing around, Severus could see a great number of students already in the stands watching the dual practices as well.
"Oh, good morning Severus," said the tiny wizard as he clapped vigorously for a properly executed maneuver. "Well done, Perpetua!"
"Filius."
Severus went to the fourth row at the top of the stands and sat, wrapping his cloak about him to seal out the chilly wind after pulling out a pair of omnioculars and training them to the far side of the field where his Slytherins were practicing. Fifteen minutes passed and the Slytherins lowered their brooms to the ground and went inside for their team meeting, and the Ravenclaws quickly followed suit.
Flitwick faced him and said, "I must say, Severus, you are looking healthier these days."
Severus slowly trained his eyes on the older man. "Am I? I hadn't noticed."
"You must be the only one who hasn't."
"I believe our dear Severus has been getting more sleep than usual," a golden voice boomed from the stairs and Flitwick nearly toppled off the bench in his merriment.
"Thank you, Albus," Severus spat as the Headmaster made his way to his bench.
As he sat down beside Severus, Albus sent Flitwick a meaningful look, which the tiny wizard acknowledged with a wink in return.
"If you will excuse me, I want to give my team a few words of encouragement. May the best team win."
"Have you already resigned yourself to losing? It's just as well."
"On the contrary, Severus," Flitwick answered with a smile and disappeared down the steps.
Severus turned his head and eyed Dumbledore warily before asking, "Well? What is it?"
The old man smiled at the apparent distrust in his eyes. "I just wanted to see how you are these days, nothing more. Can a Headmaster not worry over his teachers?"
Severus snorted and tore his eyes away from the blue ones that had held him captive.
"Why do you bother asking me these questions? Don't think I don't notice you poking around in my head."
"But what I know and what you tell me are often two different things," Albus answered after a moment of contemplation. "It is what you tell me yourself that gives me the greatest insight into your true feelings. You know the limits of legilimency."
Severus's head spun around fast enough to incur whiplash and he fixed the old man with an evil glare, but Albus only laughed.
"There is no need to tell me how much you hate me, for I already know." He looked away to the sky, lost in his own thoughts. "All of the teachers care for you, Severus. Do not forget that."
"And how many of them know of my personal business?" he growled.
"I cannot vouch for Argus as we have not discussed it," Albus said with a smile as he watched Severus flinch at the idea of Filch knowing his private affairs, "but I do believe most of the staff is aware of the situation between yourself and Professor Granger. In fact, Sybill took time out to visit me the other day and she did mention something about forseeing this very occurrence when she had Hermione as a student."
"I'm sure she did," he muttered, ignoring the broad smile on the older wizard's face. "Though you probably expected it as well."
Albus laughed, "I cannot deny that the thought did cross my mind on more than one occasion."
Severus was in the middle of engineering a scathing reply but he stopped when Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Anne appeared at the top of the stairs, followed closely by Minerva and Flitwick, who were chattering on about his team and their chances at the Quidditch Cup. Minerva, of course, wanted any House but Slytherin to take it, and she loaned her own quidditch knowledge to Flitwick to insure his success.
"Hermione, it would seem I am in your seat!" Albus called jovially, and Severus managed a wry smile at Hermione, who had the decency to blush at the Headmaster's brash statement.
"That's quite alright if you wish to sit there, Headmaster," she began, but the old man had already climbed down to meet them, shaking both Ron and Ginny's hands.
"It's so wonderful to see both of you back here at Hogwarts! Why, it seems only yesterday you were both on this very quidditch pitch leading Gryffindor to victory."
"You played quidditch, too?" Anne asked, and Ron's ears turned pink.
"Yeah, but I wasn't anything as good as Ginny or Harry."
Hermione and Ginny met eyes and both suppressed giggles as they remembered how bad Ron had been when he started. Hermione started up the stands to sit beside Severus and Ginny followed. A few minutes later, Ron started up the stands with Anne behind him, and they still talked animatedly.
"I can't believe she's still talking to him," Hermione whispered to Ginny.
"In case you've forgotten, the only men here are really old," Ginny answered back, and Severus leaned forward to glare at her. She added hastily, "I meant of the available men, Professor."
His scowl softened and he allowed her a small smile, though it quickly faded once Hermione started talking.
"You haven't met Vasily yet! He's the new arithmancy professor since we left, Russian, totally gorgeous -- ow!"
Ginny poked her in the ribs and pointed her eyes at Severus, so Hermione turned to see his glare now directed at her.
"But he doesn't have the sharp wit and delightful sarcasm that I find irresistible."
Severus's arm slipped around her waist as Hermione leaned into him, her hand on his knee. Ron saw both as he climbed towards them, his eyebrows raising in disbelief before slamming together in a single red line as he scowled at the pair. Severus met his glare, his black eyes slicing through Ron, who finally looked away and sat down on the other side of Ginny.
Over ten minutes, the rest of the teachers filed in, including Vasily, and Ginny agreed that he was gorgeous. A few minutes later, the two quidditch teams walked out onto the field to the applause of everyone in the stadium. Madam Hooch joined them, carrying the trunk with the quidditch balls.
"It's a great day for quidditch and we've got a great match today: Ravenclaw versus Slytherin!" exclaimed Stephen Stebbins, a vivacious fifth year Hufflepuff who served as the announcer.
With a blow of the whistle, both teams were up in the air and Madam Hooch loosed the four balls into the air. Ravenclaw got the quaffle first and Perpetua Clearwater, the captain and star chaser, started downfield and passed to another chaser who bobbled the quaffle and it was picked up by Trevor Groot, the best chaser Slytherin had ever had.
"Chaser Frank Fawcett loses the quaffle to Trevor Groot! And it's two-on-one as chaser Balbina Zabini peels away and head towards the goal!"
The two chasers bore down on the keeper Cynthia Ackerley, and Groot pulled towards the left goal, succeeding in luring out the keeper and he rocketed the quaffle back to Zabini, who had veered off to the right goal and tossed the quaffle through for an easy ten points.
"Slytherin's on the board first, 10-0."
Ravenclaw came back with the quaffle, Fawcett carrying it, and he passed it to the third chaser, Kevin Entwhistle, who zipped along, dodging a bludger as she made a long pass to Clearwater, who fired off a quick shot to the goals, through the Slytherin keeper's outstretched hands.
"Ravenclaw answers with some fancy passing, and it's 10-10!"
Andrew Pritchard, a chaser for Slytherin, charged downfield with the quaffle, slowing only to let Bradley Bole knock away a bludger, then passed it off to Groot.
Severus pulled his omnioculars off of the passing chasers and looked for Travers. He spotted the seeker shadowing Roger Sherwyn, the other seeker, a small fourth year with sharp eyes and even sharper broom handling. His eyes darted all over the pitch, watching for the glint of gold in the yellow sunlight. Just then, Sherwyn dropped his chest to the wooden broom handle and shot forward. Travers waved maniacally at the nearest beater, Keene Broadmoor. Broadmoor took a moment to measure up the diving seeker, then walloped a bludger with precise aim. The bludger caught the tail of the seeker's broom and flipped him over and he toppled over the side.
Minerva gasped and Flitwick covered his eyes as the seeker dangled from his broom one-handed, the other grabbing at the round piece of wood, then he kicked a leg up and swung it over the handle and hoisted himself back up. A relieved cheer went up throughout the stadium, though a loud hiss could be heard from the Slytherins.
"That was a close one! A great shot by Slytherin beater Keene Broadmoor, nearly knocked Sherwyn off completely!"
Severus smirked over at Minerva and Flitwick, who had finally uncovered his eyes and was stretched up on the bench as far as his tiny legs would take him, and he said, his voice slick as silk, "Offense may sell tickets, but defense wins the game."
Madam Hooch blew the whistle and checked to make sure the Ravenclaw seeker was alright before allowing play to continue. Slytherin still retained possession of the quaffle and Groot passed to Andrew Pritchard who slipped past his defender and scored, bringing the score to 20-10.
Ravenclaw chaser Clearwater flew back down the pitch, feinted to the left to avoid Zabini, then hurled the quaffle towards Fawcett, but Pritchard cut through and intercepted the pass for Slytherin as if he had expected it and streaked straight downfield towards the goals.
Severus smirked at Hermione when they scored again, and she said, "Don't get too cocky, they've still got a great seeker."
Sherwyn flew above the pitch, his eyes still darting about, and it appeared his earlier brush with a bludger had not intimidated him, and his Slytherin counterpart still followed behind him. The match progressed below them with the Slytherin defense holding back the Ravenclaw chasers, and Slytherin led 80-30. As Ravenclaw headed downfield with the quaffle, Travers spotted the winged ball of gold and shot towards it, knowing he only had a few seconds jump on the opposing seeker.
"Watch out, it looks like they've both spotted the snitch!"
The crowds rose to their feet as they watched the two seekers dueling with their brooms high above the ground, and gasped as one when a stray bludger caromed towards Sherwyn, and he dropped straight down to avoid it, though it put him off the snitch.
Groot, the Slytherin chaser, pulled away from the action surrounding the quaffle and rammed brooms with the Ravenclaw seeker, pushing him off course, and cries of "Foul" pierced the air from the pitch and the stands, but Madam Hooch did not see it and play continued. While Sherwyn struggled to catch up, Travers stretched out, coaxing a little more out of his Nimbus 3000, until the snitch dropped twenty feet and darted to the left, straight into the path of Roger Sherwyn.
"I don't believe it! Roger Sherwyn's got the snitch! Ravenclaw wins! Final score, 180-80!"
The crowds erupted, except for the Slytherins, whose boos and hisses could still be heard through the din, and Hermione looked at Severus, his arms crossed and a terrible frown upon his face, and she hesitantly reached her hand up to his arm. He slowly exhaled the breath he had taken when the Ravenclaw seeker grasped the snitch then turned to Hermione, his face tired.
"Well, Gryffindor could beat Ravenclaw," she said hopefully, and Severus only snorted.
"I shall have to wait another year to reclaim possession of the Quidditch Cup. But at least it won't be in Minerva's office," he added.
"I'm sure she's thinking the exact same thing."
Ginny poked her in the ribs and said, "We're going up to the Three Broomsticks, you wanna go? You too, Professor Snape."
"I'd love to go," Hermione answered at once and turned back to Severus who shook his head.
"I must attend to the potion."
"You sure you can't put it in stasis and go with us?" Again he shook his head, and she decided not to press the issue. She was perfectly happy with settling for a casualty free quidditch match. "Then I'll stop by when I get back."
"That will be fine," Severus answered as he stood, long fingers clutched hers for a brief moment and their eyes met before he started down the stands, stopping to congratulate Flitwick and shake his hand, and Hermione smiled to herself.
"I guess he's not too bad when he's civil, 'Mione," Ginny said, watching Severus as he spoke to Minerva then turned to give Hermione one last look before starting down the stairs.
"That and he doesn't hate you. I still don't really understand his utter hatred of Harry and Ron." Hermione leaned forward to see Ron and Anne still locked in conversation, even though the match had ended and the stands were emptying. "Gods, he must've bewitched her or something."
"Are you kidding? He couldn't do a love charm or potion to save his life."
"Then maybe she really likes him."
"Considering the alternative is that hunk over there, she must like him, or she's a lesbian." Ginny continued to check out Vasily Borodin, who was chatting with Flitwick. "Hey, you think Vasily'd fancy a drink with us?"
Vasily did in fact join them on the trip to Hogsmeade, as did Minerva, Hagrid and Flitwick, once they heard the invitation, and to Ginny's chagrin, she was unable to talk much with Vasily. The hours passed quickly, and before anyone realized it, night had fallen. Ginny and Ron said their goodbyes, Ron slipping a piece of paper into Anne's hand, and they disapparated.
The remaining teachers walked back to Hogwarts and parted ways at the entrance hall. Hermione went downstairs to the dungeons. She and Severus ate dinner in the laboratory and spent most of the evening there with the potions. Hours later, they retired to his nearby quarters and she fell quickly to sleep.
As Hermione lay dreaming again of Harry and Draco, Severus lay beside her, delving into the darkness of her mind, which was completely unguarded while she was dreaming.
It only took a moment before he was sucked into her dream, Hermione surrounded in fog, Harry's voice floating through the smoke like an apparition.
"Draco's dying, don't you remember?"
Severus peered into the fog surrounding them, but he could not make out the floating ghosts there, the memories that hovered so close but still out of reach, so he followed behind her as she ran, keeping alert. The disembodied voice grew closer, until they found Harry standing before a great bed. Draco lay there, like a living skeleton and his head turned slowly to face her, his cold blue eyes looking through them.
"I'm dying, don't you remember?"
Draco withered away, his skin falling through bones, white hair blowing away, leaving only the skeleton, and Harry climbed up on the bed with him.
Hermione gasped awake, and Severus saw a fragment, a glimpse at something she had forgotten, a vision of very ill Draco lying in bed, before it disappeared and he pulled away from her mind and pulled her into a tight embrace. He held her until her breathing slowed and she grew calm.
"Well?" she asked.
"I think there's a memory charm there, a strong one. I saw something, just a piece of something larger that seems to have been forcibly removed."
"Can you get it back?"
"Possibly. It will take more time."
"What -- what do you think happened?"
Finally Severus answered, his voice quiet, "I think you have an idea."
"It was Harry, wasn't it? He did this."
___
A/N:
I know, I know, I said I'd have it up yesterday, but hey, today is a year I've been writing this fic, so I think it's even better this way! So why don't you reward me for a year's worth of hard work by reviewing!
Sorry for the delay, work seriously sucked this last week, so I spent most of today writing. I hope it proves worth the wait. As always, please R/R and let me know if you want to be added to the email list for chapter updates.