THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER
By: Scatterheart
"Then it begins!" (Robin of Locksley)Section Fifteen
Two hours later, he found himself in the headmaster's office, being offered a cup of herbal tea.
"Honestly, Severus, this is the first time that a professor has taken away the chance of his own house's winning the House Cup," Albus Dumbledore said, simultaneously nibbling on a cookie that flecked small dark crumbs into his snowy beard. "And the most surprising thing is that it comes from you. Are you sure you're all right these days? Have some tea. It's good for you."
Severus retrieved the saucer from the old man's thin, powdery white hands and took a scorching gulp. "I do not want to know what he'll grow up to be."
"Draco?"
"Yes."
"What was that you called him? A little… 'dropping'? Except, of course, you used much harsher language that we do not usually condone in students, much less esteemed faculty members."
"He deserved it, every ounce of it," Severus replied glumly. "I'm not apologizing."
Albus dabbed at his mouth with the corner of his robe sleeve. "Realize that it's not exactly I who will be suffering the brunt of this incident, mind you. The one to whom you should be apologizing is yourself; Draco is part of Slytherin, and you are the head of Slytherin, you know," He chuckled. "My, My. You, Severus, have seemed to have turned against your own house. I simply must remember to write this one down. It is quite bizarre, indeed."
"I will deal with my own consequences."
"I know. You were always best at being self-sufficient. But how shall Lucius Malfoy react once he hears what has been said to his son? This incident will invariably cause some friction between Hogwarts and the Malfoys…"
"That's not my problem."
"Merlin's bones, Severus, nothing is ever your problem," Albus rasped. "I may be old, but I'm not blind (at least not yet). You would not want to purposely stir up trouble. This is not completely about Draco. What is it about?"
Damn him. Severus downed the blistering tea and put the saucer on the table. "It's Hermione Granger," he confessed, too drained to weave any more fibs. "She has been struggling in Potions. It's a mystery to me why a young woman of her intelligence and past academic history cannot handle several chapters out of a textbook. I worry that Malfoy has been psychologically abusing her outside of class with his taunting." Well, it was a half-truth, at least, he thought, resentfully.
"Ah." Albus nodded and settled back into the sofa. "This is indeed very observant and even kind of you. But I'm afraid you are wrong."
"I see."
"It's not Draco, but Transfigurations that has been causing Hermione's slight dip in grades."
"What?" This was completely unexpected.
"She hasn't told you, Severus? She is taking an extra course in Transfigurations – and, mind you, upper level Transfigurations can be infamously mind-boggling (I know from first hand experience) – and she can no longer handle her work load."
"But that does not give her the right to… to – flake – in Potions."
"Of course not. But it does give her the right to drop. Completely within school rules. Do you want more t—"
"What are you saying, Albus?"
Albus smiled and silently shook his head. "Severus, you must pull yourself out of those dungeons and make an appearance at a staff meeting once in a while. You do not know that yesterday evening Hermione requested to drop potions? I tried to convince her otherwise, but she insisted. She already has enough potions credits on her record to pass Hogwarts, so I had no choice but to relent." He picked up the tray of cookies. "Try some, Severus, you look pale."
"No. No, I'm fine," he said, hollowly.
Albus shrugged, and took another cookie for himself. "In either case, do find some time to apologize to Draco some time this century, will you?"
But Severus didn't hear the old man.
She had dropped his class.
He felt as if he had been struck by an anvil.
--
Never to be continued. Sorry.
Just kidding! Of course I'll continue. But I will not updating next week because I have finals (insert sad noise here). I will still be updating, however, the week after next.
Note: If you just can't get enough of UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) I suggest watching the movies "The Remains Of The Day," "Mesmer," or "Girl With A Pearl Earring" (when it comes out).
Final Note: Thank you all for your reviews! They mean very much to me, and all the comments just keep me going.