"Of all the idiotic, rash, amazingly stubborn things she could do!" Severus Snape muttered under his breath as he paced back and forth in Poppy's office, waiting for the nurse to finish with her patient. He'd built up quite a bit of anger at the patient now being treated. "Even though she's a Gryffindor, I cannot believe she would be that imprudent!" He growled low and deep in his throat trying to forget the image that stayed in his mind. Hermione Granger, laying on the floor next to his potions desk, a pool of blood under her head, another under her leg, unmoving. Thank goodness he'd calmed down soon enough to stem the blood loss before it was fatal. Now, they relied on Poppy's skill to clean up one of his messes again.
He paced back and forth, muttering to himself, directing his verbal tirade towards Miss Granger, for about 15 minutes before the door opened. Severus whirled around at the sound of the door opening.
"Ahh, Severus." Dumbledore smiled indulgently at the younger man, before closing the door behind him and taking a seat at Madam Pompfrey's desk.
Severus Snape glared at the headmaster's seeming lack of concern, standing before the desk, arms crossed on his chest, as he waited for the reprimand he knew was coming.
"Severus, please, take a seat?" The headmaster invited, but at Professor Snape's raised eyebrow, he let the matter drop. "Miss Granger will be fine, Poppy tells me. It may take some time for her to fully recover, but recover, she will."
Severus sighed in relief, and sank down into the nearest chair, dropping his head into his hands for a brief moment before he raised his head to look Albus Dumbledore in the eyes. "Headmaster, you have my apologies, I let my emotions get the best of me… "
The older man held up his hand forestalling any further explanation. "Severus, dear boy, please, think no more of it. I, of all people, understand how emotions can rise up and consume us without warning, making us do irrational things in response." He smiled benignly at his Potions Master.
Severus exploded out of his chair, no longer able to contain his anger at himself. "Headmaster, that little slip of a girl is under my protection. She asked me one impertinent question," he started pacing again, "and I lose my temper, deliberately provoking her, and then leave her in a dangerous place, with dangerous emotions, without any thought to her safety. How can I 'think no more of it'?" He snarled.
The headmaster leaned back, and let one hand run down his beard as he listened to his younger colleague's rant. "Severus, look at me." The younger man complied, trying to project how much he blamed himself for this situation. "This is not your fault. Yes, you could have acted differently. But this is not your fault."
"But it is, Headmaster. I let her stay in the classroom with me, implying my protection. And then I forsake that implication by deliberately angering her." His voice was hoarse with emotion.
"After she asked an impertinent question, and then gave as good as she got." Albus threw that out there.
"WHAT?!?! How would you know…" Severus thundered.
"Because, dear boy, she is awake, and she told me herself what happened, including her part in this." It was vitally important to Albus that he hear Professor Snape's description of what happened, before Severus knew that Albus had been told. They were both taking the blame for the incident, protecting the other from what they expected the Headmaster's wrath would be.
Once again, Severus dropped into the chair, drained of all emotion. Albus knew it was time to leave the younger man alone, to let his words sink in. But, he couldn't leave without one last warning. It may not make the difference, but he had to try. He rose from behind the desk, and walked over to where Severus was sitting, clapped his hand on the Potions Master's shoulder, and spoke softly, "There are times when strong emotions come out of nowhere to overwhelm us. You of all people know how important it is that we not let those emotions free reign, as those around us may be caught up in the whirlwind, and people may get hurt." There, that would do. And hopefully not enough to plant any ideas in his head in case Albus was wrong.
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Hermione was really getting tired of the infirmary. She'd seen it more this year than the previous 6 years combined. And the concerned visit by the Headmaster was worse. She'd tried to explain that she'd just forgotten herself for a moment, and fell trying to get to her rooms, but he just sat in his chair and smiled sadly at her until she spilled the whole sordid story. She was so ashamed of herself. Professor Snape had been doing her a favor until her big mouth ruined the whole afternoon. She wouldn't be surprised if the Professor wouldn't speak to her again, and turned the whole thing over to Albus.
Not only had she been impertinent to a teacher, but then she had betrayed his faith in her by being so wrapped up in her anger that she had forgotten her situation. And as Poppy had explained recently, Skele- Gro was instant for healing the break, but until some time passed, the bone was weaker than the rest. And with all of her recent injuries, her bones had not fully strengthened.
And if it weren't for Ginny thinking of her in Hogsmeade, she might not be alive right now. The youngest Weasley had not only gotten her a package of assorted Honeyduke's treats, she had thoughtfully stopped at the bookstore, and gotten the book Hermione was talking about the previous weekend, "Auditing Arithmancy: Tricky Formulae," by Helva Hyundred. It was sheer luck that Ginny had gotten a headache and left Hogsmeade earlier than she had planned. Had she shown up at the Dungeons any later, Hermione might not have been aware enough to feel anything. She was lucky to have such good friends.
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Before Albus could leave, Severus sighed again, and raised his tired and painfilled eyes to the Headmaster. "We have another problem, Albus."
Dumbledore saw the look in his friend's eyes and sat back down calmly. "And that would be?" By all appearances he could have been asking about the weather.
"Miss Weasley." Severus answered quietly. Albus gave him an inscrutable look, and motioned for him to continue. "When she found Miss Granger, and yelled for help, I was alerted and came right away. There was a residue of magic in the room. Subtle, but unmistakable. Unfortunately, with Miss Granger's state, I had to cast several spells in order to secure her and get her to the infirmary." Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose as he continued. "And while I was bringing Miss Granger here, Miss Weasley… interrogated me."
At this Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Interrogated?"
"I know, Abus, I know. But do try to remember my training." Severus spoke in clipped tones. When Dumbledore just nodded he continued. "As Miss Granger's friend, I could understand her desire to know just how well we were progressing at finding a cure to her friend's problem. However upon hearing Miss Weasley say, and I quote, 'Some would think all this effort for one person quite flattering. You all must think Miss Granger to be the most important person in the school!', I was certain. There is something going on there. Miss Weasley is not as she seems, Albus."
The Headmaster's face had gone white at hearing the words of Ginevra Weasley. While it seemed to be an innocent remark, there was more to it, he was sure.
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"Silly stubborn know-it-all!" She raged, back in her dorm room. Somehow Little Miss Perfect had wrapped even Professor Snape around her finger. Somehow, instead of being humiliated, she was being cosseted. All she heard these days was how "strong" Hermione was. How "brave". She snorted, then began mumbling to herself, pacing back and forth across her dorm room. "Hermione this, and Hermione that! I'm so sick of hearing her stupid name. Sick of hearing about how wonderful she was coping with this horrible, horrible tragedy. Once again the silly cow has them all snowed, and instead of realizing how amazing the spell was, and how advanced the caster must be, no, they are all worried about Little Miss Perfect!"
She sighed in frustration and sat down on the window seat, her mind going a mile a minute. At least she'd been able to cast the longer version of the spell on her. It had taken a bit to figure out how to extend the effects, but at the end of it all, just a couple of changes in tense, and no more recasting for 3 months! "Oh Hermione, what am I gonna do about you?" Her mind trying to come to grips with how badly her plan had been going so far.
A voice interrupted her musings. "Oh Ginny, I know! We'll find something!" OH great, her big brother.
Another voice continued, "We won't let whoever this is win!" And The Boy Who Lived On and On and On and On.
Ginny carefully schooled her features into a mask of depression that wasn't entirely faked. And as she turned to the two older boys, she was enveloped in two sets of masculine arms, smothered by their concern for the girl she hated.
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A/N: Things are going alot slower. This took me forever to write. Sorry about the shortness.
