Disclaimer: Figured I'd better put this in since everyone else has. The
characters and setting are NOT MINE. They belong to the genius of J. K.
Rowling. However, the plotline is mine, and I apologize beforehand if it
happens to mirror anyone else's story.
The Cure
Chapter 1. Return
Hermione sighed heavily as she seated herself in Remus's office. She glared into the fireplace, not really seeing the flames dance merrily doing little to warm the chill air. She toyed with the amulet she was holding in her lap, trying to avoid thinking about why she had finally returned to Hogwarts.
Remus stood from his desk and offered her a cup of chocolate, one of Hermione's favorite drinks of the Muggle world. She had gotten him quite addicted to the caffeine that seemed to be prevalent in many of the Muggle drinks. He knew the British Muggles normally tended to drink tea, but coffee had a better kick. He tried to keep to coffee in the morning, but at night, especially in the winter, it had to be chocolate.
Hermione took it without a word, still staring sightlessly into the flickering coals. Remus, sensing her mood, sat himself down into a chair next to hers and waited. He had noticed the amulet in her hands as soon as she had stepped through the fireplace, and knew she had finally reached her goal, a goal that she had set for herself some fifteen years before, just a few days before graduating. Or at least he hoped she had.
After a while, Remus shifted a little in his seat, which brought Hermione out of her reverie.
"I'm sorry. I hadn't meant to be so ... distracted," she murmured as she shook herself. "I didn't even say hello, did I?"
"No, not really, but it's very understandable. You've been gone for six years, and although there have been some changes since you were last here, you are more or less coming back home." Remus smiled slightly. "You did live here quite a while after graduation."
The corners of Hermione's mouth finally lifted a little in response. "You know I hadn't intended to make Hogwarts my permanent home. I did have to move on, even though my work was far from done."
The current headmaster nodded slowly. "Speaking of your work...." Remus let his voice trail off and glanced meaningfully at the bauble Hermione was twisting about in her hands. Hermione finally looked at it and held it up for Remus to see. "Is it ready?" he asked.
She bobbed her head. "I hope so," she said, mirroring his thoughts. "I don't know how much longer I could go on researching if this doesn't work. I've run out of ideas ..."
"You've exhausted all the books you can find on the subject? Even the ones at Hogsbridge and Hogsford?"
"Yes, and even the ones at the Muggle Universities that have anything on the subject. There's not many of those; however, they usually keep them in the fiction section of their libraries. Frightening, really, considering that someone could just come in and lift a spell from their pages and be none the wiser for it until it blows up in their face. That is, if they happen to want to dabble a bit, which many do wish to do these days..."
Remus shook his head sadly. To think that Muggles could be so naive.
Hermione shuddered. Up until the time she was sent the invitation to attend Hogwarts, she had no idea that the wizarding world existed. She knew she had wanted something more out of life, even at such a tender age. Had she not been invited, she would have continued her own personal experiments and research and would have wound up "blown up" from dabbling, as well. Thanks to her years at Hogwarts, she had learned the proper way to do it, and had only singed her eyebrows once or twice for her efforts.
"Well, anyways... " Hermione changed the subject. "I suppose he's still haunting the Laboratory."
"Oh yes. He's giving the Potions prof a run for her money. He won't leave well enough alone."
Remus pursed his lips at the thought. He should have given Snape the Defense Against the Dark Arts position much sooner, but he had thought that Hermione's research would have come up with a solution to his predicament a lot quicker than it had. In the meantime, Snape had become quite at home in the Potions Lab. He still wandered about the school as he always had, but the Lab was where you could usually find him, even with the new Professor and her class in attendance. Too often she would come stomping up to his office complaining about some new "stunt" he had pulled.
As he stood, he offered to refresh Hermione's chocolate, but she declined. While he had been brooding about Snape, she had retreated into her own thoughts. She had worked so long and so hard on this amulet and what it represented that she had no idea, really, of what she was going to do with her life if it did work. Things would be different... not a lot different... but different for her.
It was already late. The amulet could only be effective around Snape's neck, and he usually was seen at night, except, of course, when he was teaching class. *Or when he's disrupting other classes* Hermione thought to herself. She rose and held out her hand to Remus... then thought better of it. She approached him and gave him a hug with a smile.
Remus returned her embrace and grin, but he noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. He could tell her mood hadn't changed. He knew what she had returned to do, and, to be honest, he wasn't entirely happy. He would have to take over the DADA class, at least for the time being. However, he knew Snape would finally be freed from his predicament, and for that blessing he was relieved. Snape had been almost inconsolable since Hermione left, as his hopes had been riding on her research.
She turned to go and then paused. "Did he know I was coming tonight?"
Remus shook his head. "I wasn't sure how to tell him. I thought that maybe you should be the one to explain it. It would come easier from you." *Besides, how could I explain it IF you hadn't shown?* The headmaster realized that somehow, somewhere, he had become Snape's "guardian" as it were. He didn't really like that thought, seeing as how they used to be, at the very least, schoolmates.
Hermione glanced back with a weak smile... even a little watery around the edges. She knew she would be back later that night, and she hoped he would at least be her soundingboard. She was going to need it.
The Cure
Chapter 1. Return
Hermione sighed heavily as she seated herself in Remus's office. She glared into the fireplace, not really seeing the flames dance merrily doing little to warm the chill air. She toyed with the amulet she was holding in her lap, trying to avoid thinking about why she had finally returned to Hogwarts.
Remus stood from his desk and offered her a cup of chocolate, one of Hermione's favorite drinks of the Muggle world. She had gotten him quite addicted to the caffeine that seemed to be prevalent in many of the Muggle drinks. He knew the British Muggles normally tended to drink tea, but coffee had a better kick. He tried to keep to coffee in the morning, but at night, especially in the winter, it had to be chocolate.
Hermione took it without a word, still staring sightlessly into the flickering coals. Remus, sensing her mood, sat himself down into a chair next to hers and waited. He had noticed the amulet in her hands as soon as she had stepped through the fireplace, and knew she had finally reached her goal, a goal that she had set for herself some fifteen years before, just a few days before graduating. Or at least he hoped she had.
After a while, Remus shifted a little in his seat, which brought Hermione out of her reverie.
"I'm sorry. I hadn't meant to be so ... distracted," she murmured as she shook herself. "I didn't even say hello, did I?"
"No, not really, but it's very understandable. You've been gone for six years, and although there have been some changes since you were last here, you are more or less coming back home." Remus smiled slightly. "You did live here quite a while after graduation."
The corners of Hermione's mouth finally lifted a little in response. "You know I hadn't intended to make Hogwarts my permanent home. I did have to move on, even though my work was far from done."
The current headmaster nodded slowly. "Speaking of your work...." Remus let his voice trail off and glanced meaningfully at the bauble Hermione was twisting about in her hands. Hermione finally looked at it and held it up for Remus to see. "Is it ready?" he asked.
She bobbed her head. "I hope so," she said, mirroring his thoughts. "I don't know how much longer I could go on researching if this doesn't work. I've run out of ideas ..."
"You've exhausted all the books you can find on the subject? Even the ones at Hogsbridge and Hogsford?"
"Yes, and even the ones at the Muggle Universities that have anything on the subject. There's not many of those; however, they usually keep them in the fiction section of their libraries. Frightening, really, considering that someone could just come in and lift a spell from their pages and be none the wiser for it until it blows up in their face. That is, if they happen to want to dabble a bit, which many do wish to do these days..."
Remus shook his head sadly. To think that Muggles could be so naive.
Hermione shuddered. Up until the time she was sent the invitation to attend Hogwarts, she had no idea that the wizarding world existed. She knew she had wanted something more out of life, even at such a tender age. Had she not been invited, she would have continued her own personal experiments and research and would have wound up "blown up" from dabbling, as well. Thanks to her years at Hogwarts, she had learned the proper way to do it, and had only singed her eyebrows once or twice for her efforts.
"Well, anyways... " Hermione changed the subject. "I suppose he's still haunting the Laboratory."
"Oh yes. He's giving the Potions prof a run for her money. He won't leave well enough alone."
Remus pursed his lips at the thought. He should have given Snape the Defense Against the Dark Arts position much sooner, but he had thought that Hermione's research would have come up with a solution to his predicament a lot quicker than it had. In the meantime, Snape had become quite at home in the Potions Lab. He still wandered about the school as he always had, but the Lab was where you could usually find him, even with the new Professor and her class in attendance. Too often she would come stomping up to his office complaining about some new "stunt" he had pulled.
As he stood, he offered to refresh Hermione's chocolate, but she declined. While he had been brooding about Snape, she had retreated into her own thoughts. She had worked so long and so hard on this amulet and what it represented that she had no idea, really, of what she was going to do with her life if it did work. Things would be different... not a lot different... but different for her.
It was already late. The amulet could only be effective around Snape's neck, and he usually was seen at night, except, of course, when he was teaching class. *Or when he's disrupting other classes* Hermione thought to herself. She rose and held out her hand to Remus... then thought better of it. She approached him and gave him a hug with a smile.
Remus returned her embrace and grin, but he noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. He could tell her mood hadn't changed. He knew what she had returned to do, and, to be honest, he wasn't entirely happy. He would have to take over the DADA class, at least for the time being. However, he knew Snape would finally be freed from his predicament, and for that blessing he was relieved. Snape had been almost inconsolable since Hermione left, as his hopes had been riding on her research.
She turned to go and then paused. "Did he know I was coming tonight?"
Remus shook his head. "I wasn't sure how to tell him. I thought that maybe you should be the one to explain it. It would come easier from you." *Besides, how could I explain it IF you hadn't shown?* The headmaster realized that somehow, somewhere, he had become Snape's "guardian" as it were. He didn't really like that thought, seeing as how they used to be, at the very least, schoolmates.
Hermione glanced back with a weak smile... even a little watery around the edges. She knew she would be back later that night, and she hoped he would at least be her soundingboard. She was going to need it.
