A/N: I don't own anything. Please review, hope you like it!
Severus Snape paced back and forth in his office running a hand through his black locks. As he did so, the disembodied head of his elder brother Salazar bobbed in the hearth, fire licking the tips of his ears. Salazar's eyes, identical to those of Severus, watched the potions master pace with dry cynicism. He had called on his brother for a number of reasons. One, the anniversary of Annelise's disappearance was swiftly approaching and their parents wished for Severus to be present at their home for a family dinner. Normally such occasions were either held before or after the actual day due to Severus' teaching schedule, but due to the availability of all members of the family on the Saturday, it would be held officially for the first time in many years.
Second was an inquiry forwarded to him by Lenore regarding the newest Snape in Hogwarts. Lenore's second youngest, a third year by the name of Quinn Porter, had owled his mother a few weeks prior stating that a boy by the name of Tom Snape had been sorted into Gryffindor. Of course, neither Lenore nor Salazar had any children by that name, Severus was currently unmarried and as Annelise was presumed dead it became quite confusing as to the boy's parentage. Salazar was seeking answers.
"Come now Severus. You know very well that Elizabeth is the youngest Snape in our family and Amelia and I have no other children save Constance and Stephano. Please tell me who this child is so it may quell our sister's curiosity and keep me from contacting the headmaster," Salazar drawled.
"The headmaster," Severus muttered. "That might not be a bad idea,"
Salazar raised a slim eyebrow and watched as Severus called a house elf to his office. He scribbled a note to Dumbledore, handed it to the elf and sent it away. Once the task was complete he slumped against the dark wood of the desk with a heavy sigh.
"You know, I'm surprised that it was Quinn who contacted his mother. After all, there are four other children dwelling within Hogwarts and any one of them could have said something. It seems odd that Quinn was the one to do it," said Salazar.
"Salazar, I am sure that both Constance and Will could care less about any first year, carrying their name or no. As neither of them would do it Quinn seems fairly obvious,"
"And Zelda? You have conveniently forgotten about her,"
"Zelda pays little to no attention to those outside her own house. It is not a matter of convenience, rather one of common sense,"
Salazar closed his eyes and sighed, coming to look at his brother with a rather weary expression. It absolutely infuriated him when Severus was right about some blatantly obvious point, which was quite often. After a moment or so of rather awkward silence in which Salazar was trying to sooth his childish emotions of frustration for his younger brother, the door to Severus' office opened and in stepped the headmaster. Dumbledore smiled to both Severus and the head of his brother and came to stand beside the potions master, hands clasped in front of him.
"Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?" Albus asked, eyes twinkling with a touch of foresight.
"I am merely here to enquire as to who the first year by the name of Tom Snape is and who his parents may be. There is no one in my family with that name and Severus is disinclined to enclose the desired information." Salazar explained.
"Headmaster, may I remind you of our previous conversation?" asked Severus.
"No Severus, you may not, I have not forgotten. However, perhaps disclosing the information to only your family may actually be a far wiser choice than first concluded." Albus said.
Severus was reluctant at first, but the look in Albus' eyes put his fears to rest. Though he worried for the safety of his sister and her children, who else could he trust if not his family? However, despite that, Severus was greatly worried, for the more who knew of Annelise's existence, the more that were in danger.
"I will consider it, Albus. If I do decide to enclose this information, I will at dinner on the thirty-first." Severus said, a slightly shaky hand to his forehead.
"Please consider it, Severus," said Albus.
"As heart-wrenching a display as this is," Salazar's voice interrupted in a long drawl. "I must be going, dear brother. I will see you on Halloween. I bid you farewell,"
With that Salazar's head vanished leaving Severus and Albus alone in the candle-lit dungeon that was Severus' office. Turning away from the fire Severus took a seat at his desk, head in his hands. Albus placed a weathered hand on his colleague's shoulder, hoping to sooth the suffering man.
"Despite the troubles you now face, Severus, I must ask something of you," said Albus, his voice softer.
"Ask me anything Albus," Severus said amidst his palms.
"It seems that through these recent weeks the main topic of discussion in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class has been the Dark Lord. Many of the faculty is outraged at the affect it is having on their students. I need you to speak with Lavinia," said Albus, his eyes on the man beside him.
"As horrid a topic as it may be, she has done nothing wrong; nothing that deems her to cease her lessons. In fact it may prove quite useful," Severus said, resting his hands on his desk.
"Severus, while I do agree that learning of the Dark Lord is useful, she is sending the children into hysterics, especially those who have had entanglements with him or his Death Eaters in some form or another,"
"Oh God," Severus breathed.
"Yes, Severus, she too is being effected. She has gone to Poppy a number of times for the Dreamless Sleep potion to ease her evenings. Every student is suffering, and while in the end it may be beneficial, it comes at a price. She is hurting them, though not physically, but rather mentally," Albus said gravely.
Severus nodded in silent reply as he imagined his niece, shaking in a classroom as she listened to her classmates discuss her father and all that was connected to him. After the first class' initial text book discussion, Professor O'Riley had then taken to correcting the major errors in the book, followed by the more minor of the errors. Each time they did, each time a class ended, every student was always pale and so utterly shaken that they could not speak. O'Riley did not take it upon herself to single out Harry, however, and every discussion remained open to every member of the class. Despite that, Harry, as well as many other students, got a somewhat glazed look when past events were discussed. No matter from what time period they were from, be it the Auror attack on Voldemort's manor or the incident at the Department of Mysteries but two years ago, the haunted and sometimes broken look returned.
"Please speak with her Severus. There are many other aspects of this war she could focus on. Talk of the Dark Lord has gone on long enough. Hogwarts is a haven, not a prison," Albus said, quietly exiting the office.
It took a few moments for it all to sink in before Severus rose from his seat and flew from his office with renewed fervor. He practically ran the numerous flights of stairs until he had reached her office, and upon doing so, he threw the door open and marched in, hell bent on stopping this madness.
"Severus, how nice to see you," said Lavinia from where she was seated on the surface of her desk.
"Lavinia, to be perfectly frank, what the hell is the matter with you?" asked Severus, robes settling around him.
"Whatever do you mean?" she asked with an innocent smile.
"Albus has just informed me that you have been discussing the Dark Lord with your students. While I do agree on knowledge of ones enemy, I do not agree on frightening students to the point of mental break down. Please explain yourself!" Severus said with fury.
Lavinia looked slightly taken aback and came to stand directly in front of her desk; facing the irate potions master. "I am merely giving them insight on who the Ministry is fighting," she said, shutting the door with the aid of her wand. "Who the Order is fighting,"
"They know who we are fighting, Lavinia. Some know first hand. They are not ignorant in the ways of this war," said Severus, hands fisted at his side.
"They are only children Severus. They need to be taught on what they will be facing, when the time comes. The Ministry can only do so much before we have a full scale war on our hands." Lavinia said.
"They may be children, they may not have all the knowledge that this school has to offer, but they know what they will face; what they have faced." Severus said in a grave tone.
"I may have been out of the country but I know what has gone on in the past. Harry Potter and his friends have encountered many terrors these past years, but they are only a small part of this school. Others need to be educated," Lavinia pressed.
"Yes, Potter, Weasley and Granger have had their fair share of adventure, but these past two years, so have others. In the Department of Mysteries two years ago it was not just the three of them who gallivanted off into unknown territory, others did as well. Last year more followed their example. We have already lost many to this war; more than you know. You don't have to tell the students that." Severus said, glaring fiercely at the woman in front of him.
After the incident in the Department of Mysteries, the second war had begun. Many attacks had occurred during the summer and school terms; both on muggleborns and wizarding families. Incidentally many students had died during these attacks, and in an attack later on in the year which Harry Potter had blindly charged into with the aid of his friends. By the end of the second term they had lost almost a quarter of the muggleborns in the school as well as numerous elder wizarding families. However, as the sorrow had set in around the school, so had the suspicion, as the Slytherin house remained untouched. All who dwelled within, it seemed were safe. Severus knew better.
"As informative as your lessons are, Lavinia, please refrain from the Dark Lord. Any other topic is suitable," said Severus, eyes cast downward as he remembered the previous year.
"I'll stop the lessons on the Dark Lord," she said, voice soft.
"That is all I ask. The headmaster will be pleased," said Severus, turning to go.
"Severus, I'm not doing this for you or the headmaster. I'm doing this for the children," said Lavinia.
Severus stopped in his tracks and whirled around on his heel; hair and robes flying. "Your reasons are none of my concern, as long as you do it,"
"Must you be so cold?" Lavinia cried in indignation.
Severus raised a curious eyebrow. "You hold such a high-and-mighty air and sneer at anyone who has the audacity to get near to you, physically and emotionally. Yet Dumbledore bends over backwards for you, you…filthy, hateful, spiteful traitor!" Lavinia cried.
Severus glared at her, his eyes dark and glowing, "You know nothing. While you ran home with your tail between your legs, I stayed and fought for the ones I loved." He snapped.
"Severus, I know far more than you would like me to. I know that you're playing both sides; stringing Dumbledore along with the notion that you're repenting your so-called misguided ways. I know that everything you've done for the Order, the blood you've spilt under the supposed pretense of Death Eater, was nothing more than a sham. You want to see us all dead. You want to kill us; even those who loved you once!" By now Lavinia had tears streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto the front of her robes.
"How can you be so naive? How can you believe the filth that pours from your mouth so wholeheartedly that you would turn your back on your loved ones? You know nothing of what I've done. Do not place judgment on what you do not understand," said Severus.
Lavinia raised a shaking hand to wipe away her tears, "You know nothing of love. Please don't pretend like the feelings of others mean anything to you, when all you will do is spit upon them. You leave those around you heartbroken, Severus, and all we can do is watch as you leave."
Severus gazed at her, watching as she whipped her cheeks with her pale fingers and turned her back on him. Lavinia gripped the side of her desk, knuckles white with the force of which she held it. Severus took a tentative step towards her, eyes softening.
"Lavinia I-"
"Get out," she interrupted. "Get out. Get out!"
Severus' softening gaze hardened once more and he stormed out of the office, slamming the door closed with such force that the sound echoed through the still hall. Once he left, turning the corner and retreating back to the safety and solitude of the dungeons, Lavinia crumpled to the ground. Her body was racked with broken sobs, her tears renewing with full force. Her pale hair fell about her face, blocking it from view of anyone who may enter, and her hands formed into fists on the cold stone floor. Somehow, against her will, the conversation had taken a turn for the worse. It brought up painful memories of what had been and what, Lavinia was sure, could never be again.
X
"Malfoy would you please hurry up? We're going to be late," Hermione cried up the stairs from her place in the common room.
One of the duties as head of the student body, as Hermione had observed before, was to host the prefect meetings. Any new topics, chosen by Dumbledore, were to be discussed thoroughly before a decision was passed. That evening was to be their second meeting of the year and thus far Draco had failed to make it past the lavatory where he was currently situated.
"Malfoy! Will you hurry the hell up?" Hermione yelled once more, gripping a piece of parchment tightly in her hand.
"Alright Granger, I'm done, happy?" Draco said as he sauntered into the room.
Hermione placed her hands on her hips and huffed, glaring at him in the process. Draco simply shrugged and swept passed her towards the portrait hole, pushing open the painting and stepping through leaving Hermione alone to quietly fume. After a moment or so she followed, hurriedly catching up to him on their long trek through the halls of Hogwarts.
"Dumbledore has come up with many creative idea's to keep everyone's minds off the war, most of which are balls, but I'm not sure about them. What do you think?" said Hermione, turning to her partner as they descended the stairs.
"What was that? Were you speaking Granger?" asked Draco, not sparing her a glance.
"I was merely trying to get your opinion on some of Dumbledore's ideas. You have read them over, haven't you?" she said.
"How could I when they have been in your sole possession since we received them?" Draco asked, heading down a sparsely lit hallway.
"Oh, right, sorry about that," Hermione muttered, looking downward.
The pair reached the classroom, finding it full of the house prefects. Hermione and Draco took their place at the front of the room, facing the somewhat bored expression of their lieutenants. Many were reclined in their seats, some had their heads placed on their desks and few were found to be paying even the smallest amount of attention.
"Alright, lets get this started shall we?" said Hermione in a rather cheery voice. "The headmaster has given us a new list of ideas to keep the students minds off the war. He has given us the option of doing a ball for any occasion we choose, we can also do more than one if we want. Some examples he gave are Halloween, which is coming up soon, Christmas, Winter Solstice, Spring, Easter, End of the year, etcetera. Any ideas…comments?"
"I think a ball would be a great idea. We haven't had one since the Yule Ball in forth year," said Lavender Brown.
"Wouldn't a ball take away from our studies?" asked Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw prefect.
"Oh come off it. When do we get a chance like this?" asked Blaise Zabini.
"I think it's a marvelous idea," said Luna Lovegood.
"Luna, how can you say that? No one would get any studying done, and these are our NEWT years," said Terry.
"I'm in sixth year, I don't have NEWTS," said Luna.
"But you should be getting a head start. Can't be too prepared I always say," said Terry.
"I have much more pressing things to attend to," said Luna.
"What, like trying to catch the Crumple Horned Snorkak you keep raving about? Be sensible," scoffed Terry.
"I am,"
"No, you're not. Being sensible would be concentrating on your studies, like we all should be," said Terry, eyeing everyone in the room.
"Couldn't we at least have a bit of fun Terry?" asked a Hufflepuff prefect named Anna Pierson.
"There is no time for fun when you have the NEWTS to worry about. The NEWTS are the most important exam you will ever take, no one should ignore them for some silly ball. The NEWTS-"
"Oh will you both just shut up about the bloody NEWTS! Jesus Christ, I've had it up to here with you people," said Blaise, motioning to his chin with his hand.
"I've got some great ideas for the ball!" cried Lavender.
"Can we stop talking about this?" Ron asked, burying his head in his folded arms.
"Will everyone just shut up!" cried Constance Green of Slytherin.
The room suddenly became eerily quiet, the previous babble to voices having stopped altogether. Constance, who had been standing at the time, nodded her head in thanks and resumed her seat. She looked up at Hermione and Draco, waiting patiently for them to speak.
"Now, as it seems the majority of you would like a ball, can we calmly agree on a date?" asked Hermione, nervously twisting the parchment in her hands.
"I think Winter Solstice, as it gives the nice winter feel without restricting everyone to a certain religious holiday," said Constance.
"Winter would be a nice pick-me-up, not too soon, but not too late," said Lavender.
"A ball would be so nice that time of year," said Luna with a dreamy sigh.
"With a show of hands, who agrees to a winter ball?" asked Hermione.
Everyone, with the exception of Terry Boot, raised their hand, Hermione jotting down their decision on the rumpled parchment she held. Thus the remainder of the meeting passed relatively smoothly. However, throughout the entirety of the meeting, Hermione found that Draco voiced no opinion whatsoever. He didn't speak, didn't nod, but rather stood at Hermione's side silently while she conducted the meeting. Afterwards, once the prefects had returned to their respective houses, Hermione confronted him, placing herself firmly in front of their exit.
"Move Granger I am in no mood," said Draco.
"Then what mood are you in? First you made us late, then you do nothing during the whole meeting but stand there. Please, oh wonderful partner, tell me what type of mood are you in because I want you to get rid of it," said Hermione with a slightly sarcastic air.
"Granger move or I will move you," said Draco, ignoring her question.
"Answer me Malfoy," Hermione said, standing firm.
"Granger, my mood is none of your business. I don't want to get into another debate about myself with you. Now move," said Draco.
"You better start pulling your weight Malfoy. There is a reason why there are two of us,"
"Why, so you could annoy the hell out of my every minute of every day?" asked Draco, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"No, so that we could help each other. One of us is not supposed to do it all alone," said Hermione, hands on her hips.
"Please do not start spouting a speech about Gryffindor teamwork. I do not care to listen to it," said Draco.
"I wasn't going to! I know it's difficult for you, but could you please stop being such an infuriating git for one minute and let me speak?" Hermione said in frustration.
"You know Granger, you're right," said Draco.
Hermione looked at him, puzzled, "What?"
"It is difficult for me to not be an 'infuriating git', as you so eloquently put it, so I'd rather not try," said Draco, smirking at her.
Hermione cried out in frustration, burying her face in her hands. Without another thought Draco swept past her and into the hall. Draco Malfoy was possibly the most insufferable person she ever had the displeasure of being acquainted to, and more often than not his annoying qualities seemed to rub her the wrong way. While he perked her curiosity at times, his ability to irk her pushed any likeable quality he may posses aside. After all, they weren't considered enemies for nothing.
Hermione slowly made her way to her common room, head bowed, carefully watching each step she took. In doing so she failed to notice an oncoming figure until it was too late and they had slammed rather forcefully into one another. The force sent Hermione to the ground where she sat, sore, looking up through tangled hair at who she had run in to. Standing above her, surprise written on his pale features, was her uncle. His hair was tousled and his brow was creased and upon looking at his niece his formerly hard gaze softened some.
"Hermione, I apologize. I was distracted," said Severus softly.
"It's alright, so was I," said Hermione, rising from the floor.
The pair stood silently, neither finding anything else to say to one another. Hermione had bowed her head, finger's playing with the hem of her skirt. She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, nibbling on the soft flesh nervously. She was a mixture of emotions, her frustration with Draco adding to the tumult of feelings that had built since the summer holidays. Since school had begun she had bottled it all away, focusing her attention on her studies instead of her emotional problems. What she had assumed had been for the best was vastly proving false.
"It is almost curfew, and Head Girl or no, you best be getting to bed Miss Granger," said Severus sternly, replacing all formalities.
"Yes Professor," she said quietly, walking past him and further down the hall.
As she walked past the unmoving figure of her uncle Hermione found the sudden urge to grab hold of him and bury her face into his robe-covered shoulder. However she did not stop, did not pause, and restrained any such feeling. She balled her hands around the parchment she still held and fought to retain her composure. She would not cry, she would not break down, she would not fill the hall with the sound of weeping. She would not let her emotions rule her, like they did so many others; like she was afraid one day they would be.
A/N: Hope you like it. I know it was a bit slow, all that happened was a bit of fighting, and tell me if Hermione's frustration, anxiety and such are written well enough. I'm a bit worried about how I convey it. I added quite a bit about the Snape family, but incase your confused, and they will play a large part in the future, here is the small Snape family tree:
Mr and Mrs Snape gave birth to Salazar Archimedes, Severus Demetrius, Annelise Elizabeth and Lenore Helena.
Salazar married Amelia Green and had Stephano (19), Constance (17) and two twins who have since died. Constance goes by the name of Green because of the dislike Hogwarts students have for the Snape name.
Severus has never married.
Annelise married Tom Riddle and had Hermione (17) and later Tom Granger (11) with Henry Granger. Tom is known as a Snape during his schooling.
Lenore married William Porter and had William the Second (16), Zelda (14), Quinn (13) and Elizabeth (8).
Thank you's:
Tara-Yo- thanks!
lestrange24- thanks!
paprika90- thanks, and you'll just have to wait and see. This chapter was more about Severus anyway.
DanishGirl- thanks!
Miskasa Wormhole- thanks!
lgobgirlie15- cool penname by the way. You just have to wait and see! Thanks!
Athena47- thanks!
ghypscee- thanks! Pop ups annoy me too.
the police are coming- thanks!
Severus Snape paced back and forth in his office running a hand through his black locks. As he did so, the disembodied head of his elder brother Salazar bobbed in the hearth, fire licking the tips of his ears. Salazar's eyes, identical to those of Severus, watched the potions master pace with dry cynicism. He had called on his brother for a number of reasons. One, the anniversary of Annelise's disappearance was swiftly approaching and their parents wished for Severus to be present at their home for a family dinner. Normally such occasions were either held before or after the actual day due to Severus' teaching schedule, but due to the availability of all members of the family on the Saturday, it would be held officially for the first time in many years.
Second was an inquiry forwarded to him by Lenore regarding the newest Snape in Hogwarts. Lenore's second youngest, a third year by the name of Quinn Porter, had owled his mother a few weeks prior stating that a boy by the name of Tom Snape had been sorted into Gryffindor. Of course, neither Lenore nor Salazar had any children by that name, Severus was currently unmarried and as Annelise was presumed dead it became quite confusing as to the boy's parentage. Salazar was seeking answers.
"Come now Severus. You know very well that Elizabeth is the youngest Snape in our family and Amelia and I have no other children save Constance and Stephano. Please tell me who this child is so it may quell our sister's curiosity and keep me from contacting the headmaster," Salazar drawled.
"The headmaster," Severus muttered. "That might not be a bad idea,"
Salazar raised a slim eyebrow and watched as Severus called a house elf to his office. He scribbled a note to Dumbledore, handed it to the elf and sent it away. Once the task was complete he slumped against the dark wood of the desk with a heavy sigh.
"You know, I'm surprised that it was Quinn who contacted his mother. After all, there are four other children dwelling within Hogwarts and any one of them could have said something. It seems odd that Quinn was the one to do it," said Salazar.
"Salazar, I am sure that both Constance and Will could care less about any first year, carrying their name or no. As neither of them would do it Quinn seems fairly obvious,"
"And Zelda? You have conveniently forgotten about her,"
"Zelda pays little to no attention to those outside her own house. It is not a matter of convenience, rather one of common sense,"
Salazar closed his eyes and sighed, coming to look at his brother with a rather weary expression. It absolutely infuriated him when Severus was right about some blatantly obvious point, which was quite often. After a moment or so of rather awkward silence in which Salazar was trying to sooth his childish emotions of frustration for his younger brother, the door to Severus' office opened and in stepped the headmaster. Dumbledore smiled to both Severus and the head of his brother and came to stand beside the potions master, hands clasped in front of him.
"Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?" Albus asked, eyes twinkling with a touch of foresight.
"I am merely here to enquire as to who the first year by the name of Tom Snape is and who his parents may be. There is no one in my family with that name and Severus is disinclined to enclose the desired information." Salazar explained.
"Headmaster, may I remind you of our previous conversation?" asked Severus.
"No Severus, you may not, I have not forgotten. However, perhaps disclosing the information to only your family may actually be a far wiser choice than first concluded." Albus said.
Severus was reluctant at first, but the look in Albus' eyes put his fears to rest. Though he worried for the safety of his sister and her children, who else could he trust if not his family? However, despite that, Severus was greatly worried, for the more who knew of Annelise's existence, the more that were in danger.
"I will consider it, Albus. If I do decide to enclose this information, I will at dinner on the thirty-first." Severus said, a slightly shaky hand to his forehead.
"Please consider it, Severus," said Albus.
"As heart-wrenching a display as this is," Salazar's voice interrupted in a long drawl. "I must be going, dear brother. I will see you on Halloween. I bid you farewell,"
With that Salazar's head vanished leaving Severus and Albus alone in the candle-lit dungeon that was Severus' office. Turning away from the fire Severus took a seat at his desk, head in his hands. Albus placed a weathered hand on his colleague's shoulder, hoping to sooth the suffering man.
"Despite the troubles you now face, Severus, I must ask something of you," said Albus, his voice softer.
"Ask me anything Albus," Severus said amidst his palms.
"It seems that through these recent weeks the main topic of discussion in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class has been the Dark Lord. Many of the faculty is outraged at the affect it is having on their students. I need you to speak with Lavinia," said Albus, his eyes on the man beside him.
"As horrid a topic as it may be, she has done nothing wrong; nothing that deems her to cease her lessons. In fact it may prove quite useful," Severus said, resting his hands on his desk.
"Severus, while I do agree that learning of the Dark Lord is useful, she is sending the children into hysterics, especially those who have had entanglements with him or his Death Eaters in some form or another,"
"Oh God," Severus breathed.
"Yes, Severus, she too is being effected. She has gone to Poppy a number of times for the Dreamless Sleep potion to ease her evenings. Every student is suffering, and while in the end it may be beneficial, it comes at a price. She is hurting them, though not physically, but rather mentally," Albus said gravely.
Severus nodded in silent reply as he imagined his niece, shaking in a classroom as she listened to her classmates discuss her father and all that was connected to him. After the first class' initial text book discussion, Professor O'Riley had then taken to correcting the major errors in the book, followed by the more minor of the errors. Each time they did, each time a class ended, every student was always pale and so utterly shaken that they could not speak. O'Riley did not take it upon herself to single out Harry, however, and every discussion remained open to every member of the class. Despite that, Harry, as well as many other students, got a somewhat glazed look when past events were discussed. No matter from what time period they were from, be it the Auror attack on Voldemort's manor or the incident at the Department of Mysteries but two years ago, the haunted and sometimes broken look returned.
"Please speak with her Severus. There are many other aspects of this war she could focus on. Talk of the Dark Lord has gone on long enough. Hogwarts is a haven, not a prison," Albus said, quietly exiting the office.
It took a few moments for it all to sink in before Severus rose from his seat and flew from his office with renewed fervor. He practically ran the numerous flights of stairs until he had reached her office, and upon doing so, he threw the door open and marched in, hell bent on stopping this madness.
"Severus, how nice to see you," said Lavinia from where she was seated on the surface of her desk.
"Lavinia, to be perfectly frank, what the hell is the matter with you?" asked Severus, robes settling around him.
"Whatever do you mean?" she asked with an innocent smile.
"Albus has just informed me that you have been discussing the Dark Lord with your students. While I do agree on knowledge of ones enemy, I do not agree on frightening students to the point of mental break down. Please explain yourself!" Severus said with fury.
Lavinia looked slightly taken aback and came to stand directly in front of her desk; facing the irate potions master. "I am merely giving them insight on who the Ministry is fighting," she said, shutting the door with the aid of her wand. "Who the Order is fighting,"
"They know who we are fighting, Lavinia. Some know first hand. They are not ignorant in the ways of this war," said Severus, hands fisted at his side.
"They are only children Severus. They need to be taught on what they will be facing, when the time comes. The Ministry can only do so much before we have a full scale war on our hands." Lavinia said.
"They may be children, they may not have all the knowledge that this school has to offer, but they know what they will face; what they have faced." Severus said in a grave tone.
"I may have been out of the country but I know what has gone on in the past. Harry Potter and his friends have encountered many terrors these past years, but they are only a small part of this school. Others need to be educated," Lavinia pressed.
"Yes, Potter, Weasley and Granger have had their fair share of adventure, but these past two years, so have others. In the Department of Mysteries two years ago it was not just the three of them who gallivanted off into unknown territory, others did as well. Last year more followed their example. We have already lost many to this war; more than you know. You don't have to tell the students that." Severus said, glaring fiercely at the woman in front of him.
After the incident in the Department of Mysteries, the second war had begun. Many attacks had occurred during the summer and school terms; both on muggleborns and wizarding families. Incidentally many students had died during these attacks, and in an attack later on in the year which Harry Potter had blindly charged into with the aid of his friends. By the end of the second term they had lost almost a quarter of the muggleborns in the school as well as numerous elder wizarding families. However, as the sorrow had set in around the school, so had the suspicion, as the Slytherin house remained untouched. All who dwelled within, it seemed were safe. Severus knew better.
"As informative as your lessons are, Lavinia, please refrain from the Dark Lord. Any other topic is suitable," said Severus, eyes cast downward as he remembered the previous year.
"I'll stop the lessons on the Dark Lord," she said, voice soft.
"That is all I ask. The headmaster will be pleased," said Severus, turning to go.
"Severus, I'm not doing this for you or the headmaster. I'm doing this for the children," said Lavinia.
Severus stopped in his tracks and whirled around on his heel; hair and robes flying. "Your reasons are none of my concern, as long as you do it,"
"Must you be so cold?" Lavinia cried in indignation.
Severus raised a curious eyebrow. "You hold such a high-and-mighty air and sneer at anyone who has the audacity to get near to you, physically and emotionally. Yet Dumbledore bends over backwards for you, you…filthy, hateful, spiteful traitor!" Lavinia cried.
Severus glared at her, his eyes dark and glowing, "You know nothing. While you ran home with your tail between your legs, I stayed and fought for the ones I loved." He snapped.
"Severus, I know far more than you would like me to. I know that you're playing both sides; stringing Dumbledore along with the notion that you're repenting your so-called misguided ways. I know that everything you've done for the Order, the blood you've spilt under the supposed pretense of Death Eater, was nothing more than a sham. You want to see us all dead. You want to kill us; even those who loved you once!" By now Lavinia had tears streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto the front of her robes.
"How can you be so naive? How can you believe the filth that pours from your mouth so wholeheartedly that you would turn your back on your loved ones? You know nothing of what I've done. Do not place judgment on what you do not understand," said Severus.
Lavinia raised a shaking hand to wipe away her tears, "You know nothing of love. Please don't pretend like the feelings of others mean anything to you, when all you will do is spit upon them. You leave those around you heartbroken, Severus, and all we can do is watch as you leave."
Severus gazed at her, watching as she whipped her cheeks with her pale fingers and turned her back on him. Lavinia gripped the side of her desk, knuckles white with the force of which she held it. Severus took a tentative step towards her, eyes softening.
"Lavinia I-"
"Get out," she interrupted. "Get out. Get out!"
Severus' softening gaze hardened once more and he stormed out of the office, slamming the door closed with such force that the sound echoed through the still hall. Once he left, turning the corner and retreating back to the safety and solitude of the dungeons, Lavinia crumpled to the ground. Her body was racked with broken sobs, her tears renewing with full force. Her pale hair fell about her face, blocking it from view of anyone who may enter, and her hands formed into fists on the cold stone floor. Somehow, against her will, the conversation had taken a turn for the worse. It brought up painful memories of what had been and what, Lavinia was sure, could never be again.
X
"Malfoy would you please hurry up? We're going to be late," Hermione cried up the stairs from her place in the common room.
One of the duties as head of the student body, as Hermione had observed before, was to host the prefect meetings. Any new topics, chosen by Dumbledore, were to be discussed thoroughly before a decision was passed. That evening was to be their second meeting of the year and thus far Draco had failed to make it past the lavatory where he was currently situated.
"Malfoy! Will you hurry the hell up?" Hermione yelled once more, gripping a piece of parchment tightly in her hand.
"Alright Granger, I'm done, happy?" Draco said as he sauntered into the room.
Hermione placed her hands on her hips and huffed, glaring at him in the process. Draco simply shrugged and swept passed her towards the portrait hole, pushing open the painting and stepping through leaving Hermione alone to quietly fume. After a moment or so she followed, hurriedly catching up to him on their long trek through the halls of Hogwarts.
"Dumbledore has come up with many creative idea's to keep everyone's minds off the war, most of which are balls, but I'm not sure about them. What do you think?" said Hermione, turning to her partner as they descended the stairs.
"What was that? Were you speaking Granger?" asked Draco, not sparing her a glance.
"I was merely trying to get your opinion on some of Dumbledore's ideas. You have read them over, haven't you?" she said.
"How could I when they have been in your sole possession since we received them?" Draco asked, heading down a sparsely lit hallway.
"Oh, right, sorry about that," Hermione muttered, looking downward.
The pair reached the classroom, finding it full of the house prefects. Hermione and Draco took their place at the front of the room, facing the somewhat bored expression of their lieutenants. Many were reclined in their seats, some had their heads placed on their desks and few were found to be paying even the smallest amount of attention.
"Alright, lets get this started shall we?" said Hermione in a rather cheery voice. "The headmaster has given us a new list of ideas to keep the students minds off the war. He has given us the option of doing a ball for any occasion we choose, we can also do more than one if we want. Some examples he gave are Halloween, which is coming up soon, Christmas, Winter Solstice, Spring, Easter, End of the year, etcetera. Any ideas…comments?"
"I think a ball would be a great idea. We haven't had one since the Yule Ball in forth year," said Lavender Brown.
"Wouldn't a ball take away from our studies?" asked Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw prefect.
"Oh come off it. When do we get a chance like this?" asked Blaise Zabini.
"I think it's a marvelous idea," said Luna Lovegood.
"Luna, how can you say that? No one would get any studying done, and these are our NEWT years," said Terry.
"I'm in sixth year, I don't have NEWTS," said Luna.
"But you should be getting a head start. Can't be too prepared I always say," said Terry.
"I have much more pressing things to attend to," said Luna.
"What, like trying to catch the Crumple Horned Snorkak you keep raving about? Be sensible," scoffed Terry.
"I am,"
"No, you're not. Being sensible would be concentrating on your studies, like we all should be," said Terry, eyeing everyone in the room.
"Couldn't we at least have a bit of fun Terry?" asked a Hufflepuff prefect named Anna Pierson.
"There is no time for fun when you have the NEWTS to worry about. The NEWTS are the most important exam you will ever take, no one should ignore them for some silly ball. The NEWTS-"
"Oh will you both just shut up about the bloody NEWTS! Jesus Christ, I've had it up to here with you people," said Blaise, motioning to his chin with his hand.
"I've got some great ideas for the ball!" cried Lavender.
"Can we stop talking about this?" Ron asked, burying his head in his folded arms.
"Will everyone just shut up!" cried Constance Green of Slytherin.
The room suddenly became eerily quiet, the previous babble to voices having stopped altogether. Constance, who had been standing at the time, nodded her head in thanks and resumed her seat. She looked up at Hermione and Draco, waiting patiently for them to speak.
"Now, as it seems the majority of you would like a ball, can we calmly agree on a date?" asked Hermione, nervously twisting the parchment in her hands.
"I think Winter Solstice, as it gives the nice winter feel without restricting everyone to a certain religious holiday," said Constance.
"Winter would be a nice pick-me-up, not too soon, but not too late," said Lavender.
"A ball would be so nice that time of year," said Luna with a dreamy sigh.
"With a show of hands, who agrees to a winter ball?" asked Hermione.
Everyone, with the exception of Terry Boot, raised their hand, Hermione jotting down their decision on the rumpled parchment she held. Thus the remainder of the meeting passed relatively smoothly. However, throughout the entirety of the meeting, Hermione found that Draco voiced no opinion whatsoever. He didn't speak, didn't nod, but rather stood at Hermione's side silently while she conducted the meeting. Afterwards, once the prefects had returned to their respective houses, Hermione confronted him, placing herself firmly in front of their exit.
"Move Granger I am in no mood," said Draco.
"Then what mood are you in? First you made us late, then you do nothing during the whole meeting but stand there. Please, oh wonderful partner, tell me what type of mood are you in because I want you to get rid of it," said Hermione with a slightly sarcastic air.
"Granger move or I will move you," said Draco, ignoring her question.
"Answer me Malfoy," Hermione said, standing firm.
"Granger, my mood is none of your business. I don't want to get into another debate about myself with you. Now move," said Draco.
"You better start pulling your weight Malfoy. There is a reason why there are two of us,"
"Why, so you could annoy the hell out of my every minute of every day?" asked Draco, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"No, so that we could help each other. One of us is not supposed to do it all alone," said Hermione, hands on her hips.
"Please do not start spouting a speech about Gryffindor teamwork. I do not care to listen to it," said Draco.
"I wasn't going to! I know it's difficult for you, but could you please stop being such an infuriating git for one minute and let me speak?" Hermione said in frustration.
"You know Granger, you're right," said Draco.
Hermione looked at him, puzzled, "What?"
"It is difficult for me to not be an 'infuriating git', as you so eloquently put it, so I'd rather not try," said Draco, smirking at her.
Hermione cried out in frustration, burying her face in her hands. Without another thought Draco swept past her and into the hall. Draco Malfoy was possibly the most insufferable person she ever had the displeasure of being acquainted to, and more often than not his annoying qualities seemed to rub her the wrong way. While he perked her curiosity at times, his ability to irk her pushed any likeable quality he may posses aside. After all, they weren't considered enemies for nothing.
Hermione slowly made her way to her common room, head bowed, carefully watching each step she took. In doing so she failed to notice an oncoming figure until it was too late and they had slammed rather forcefully into one another. The force sent Hermione to the ground where she sat, sore, looking up through tangled hair at who she had run in to. Standing above her, surprise written on his pale features, was her uncle. His hair was tousled and his brow was creased and upon looking at his niece his formerly hard gaze softened some.
"Hermione, I apologize. I was distracted," said Severus softly.
"It's alright, so was I," said Hermione, rising from the floor.
The pair stood silently, neither finding anything else to say to one another. Hermione had bowed her head, finger's playing with the hem of her skirt. She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, nibbling on the soft flesh nervously. She was a mixture of emotions, her frustration with Draco adding to the tumult of feelings that had built since the summer holidays. Since school had begun she had bottled it all away, focusing her attention on her studies instead of her emotional problems. What she had assumed had been for the best was vastly proving false.
"It is almost curfew, and Head Girl or no, you best be getting to bed Miss Granger," said Severus sternly, replacing all formalities.
"Yes Professor," she said quietly, walking past him and further down the hall.
As she walked past the unmoving figure of her uncle Hermione found the sudden urge to grab hold of him and bury her face into his robe-covered shoulder. However she did not stop, did not pause, and restrained any such feeling. She balled her hands around the parchment she still held and fought to retain her composure. She would not cry, she would not break down, she would not fill the hall with the sound of weeping. She would not let her emotions rule her, like they did so many others; like she was afraid one day they would be.
A/N: Hope you like it. I know it was a bit slow, all that happened was a bit of fighting, and tell me if Hermione's frustration, anxiety and such are written well enough. I'm a bit worried about how I convey it. I added quite a bit about the Snape family, but incase your confused, and they will play a large part in the future, here is the small Snape family tree:
Mr and Mrs Snape gave birth to Salazar Archimedes, Severus Demetrius, Annelise Elizabeth and Lenore Helena.
Salazar married Amelia Green and had Stephano (19), Constance (17) and two twins who have since died. Constance goes by the name of Green because of the dislike Hogwarts students have for the Snape name.
Severus has never married.
Annelise married Tom Riddle and had Hermione (17) and later Tom Granger (11) with Henry Granger. Tom is known as a Snape during his schooling.
Lenore married William Porter and had William the Second (16), Zelda (14), Quinn (13) and Elizabeth (8).
Thank you's:
Tara-Yo- thanks!
lestrange24- thanks!
paprika90- thanks, and you'll just have to wait and see. This chapter was more about Severus anyway.
DanishGirl- thanks!
Miskasa Wormhole- thanks!
lgobgirlie15- cool penname by the way. You just have to wait and see! Thanks!
Athena47- thanks!
ghypscee- thanks! Pop ups annoy me too.
the police are coming- thanks!
