Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling owns everything, I don't. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 10
With the wedding date set and the initial plans set in motion, Snape excused himself from the table. If he were to gain a six-month reprieve from wedded bliss then he wanted to use his freedom wisely. Especially as he surmised it wouldn't really last that long, at least, not if the old man got his way. The little orphan girl may have had the old wizard wrapped around her finger for most of the summer, but whatever he had planned for her future was bigger than her childish whims. Dumbledore may had been accommodating to the young girl as she spoke her piece, but Snape knew better than to think that it had actually made a difference. It was a minor placation before the unyielding summation, and he had seen it all before.
Despite the fact that their business appeared to be complete, Dumbledore still made an attempt to impede his escape. Apparently additional mollifications were to be shared before the day was over.
"Why run off so soon? The day is still young." As he caught his Potion Master's derisive look, the Headmaster decided that some tempting was in order. He knew that the road to trust would be a long one, but there was no time too soon -- no pleasantry too small -- to start the mending process. "I've had them prepare a lovely Crème Brulee for us, you should stay and enjoy."
"Perhaps another time, I still must stop by the Apothecary to pick up supplies for the advanced potions lessons next Thursday." With the air of a condemned man with nothing left to lose, Snape casually continued, "Unless this wedding has resolved me of my responsibilities at Hogwarts?"
The older wizard forced himself to chuckle, but his performance was quickly drowned it out by the exuberant chatter of the lone student. "Professor, I would be happy to assist with your errand. I'm sure you could use and extra set of hands to bring back the supplies?"
The eagerness of her response reminded him of her first day in potions class -- minus the hand waving of course. The hopeful look on her face left him with no doubt that her request to accompany him did not come from an overwhelming desire to shop, or even to flee from the elderly couple. She was after something, and it wasn't too much of a leap to determine that it was nuptial related.
With well-practiced anger he spat out, "Miss Granger, it may surprise you to learn that I've managed to survive for 39 years without your assistance." He caught sight of the hurt look on her face, but immediately recognized it as a ruse. Now even more sure of his initial assessment he moved in with an exasperated acceptance of her offer. "But, as long as you're here, you might as well try to make yourself useful. Just make sure to not touch anything, and don't expect any detours. I have no desire to waste my time shopping for clothing or cosmetics."
He outwardly ignored her look of triumphant glee and waited as she gave a hasty farewell. As they left the other couple to their indulgences, Snape couldn't help but notice the old man's benevolent smile. He wasn't sure if he said the phrase I'm here to serve more often to the Dark Lord or the Headmaster, but in either case he was becoming rather tired of the term. Masking his face with a disdainful look he swept his hand towards the door to usher her forward.
The minute they left the Inn, Hermione's mind tumbled through a montage of compelling overtures and optimistic closings. Regardless of their direction, she couldn't seem to find the right words to approach her domineering Professor. Although her goal had been to convince Snape that they could find an alternative to their predicament, she found herself unable to broach the subject. She realized that it was silly to think that just because the same powerful wizard duped them both, that they would form a long (or even short) partnership. Taking a break from her intellectual torture, she idly mused that he would have been proud to learn that his years of intimidation had done a good job at curbing her tongue.
Actually, she couldn't have been more wrong. In front of the others he had made it clear that she was an unwelcome addition to his trip. To the casual observer it looked as though he bowed to the headmaster and allowed her to come along, but in truth it played into his plans perfectly.
As the couple followed the path into town, Snape had examined her face with well-trained scrutiny. He could read the emotions easily enough, but the exact words failed him, or rather they failed her. His experiences with the exuberant student had always centered on trying to keep her quiet, so he had expected to be bombarded with foolish plans and childish tantrums the minute they were alone. He had been prepared to endure the sound of her incessant voice grating on his nerves so he could uncover the plans behind her earlier spark. It was an unpleasant surprise to him that not a word was spoken on their entire trip from the Inn to the Apothecary.
To say that he was impatient with this turn of events was an understatement. There were lives at stake and battles to be fought, and he had no time to waste on her idle deliberations. That, of course, was what he tried to tell himself -- except he knew that wasn't true. Yes, there were constant dangers to fear, and never ending plans to make, but he also had to find time to waste on her. If he were to continue in his role as faithful minion to the Dark Lord and trusted member of the Order of the Phoenix, then he needed to learn all he could about her -- regardless of how long it took. Once they were wed she would no longer be a student in his class and constant pain in his arse. Well, actually she would still be that, but in addition she would also be his potential downfall.
He had lived in the balance of two masters for so long that it had become second nature to him. Get up, offend anyone that got too close, and then go to bed. It was a lonely code, but one that kept him alive for much longer than anyone had expected. After all, he was well aware that it was much easier to keep secrets if nobody got too close, and there was no need to lie if nobody cared where you had been or where you were going.
She had the potential to change all that.
This child -- for despite her age he could not think of her as anything else -- would become part of his life in ways that she couldn't possibly fathom. By marrying him, she would be thrust into the middle of his espionage work with the Order. As a result, he would have yet another liability in his already dangerous life.
He knew that Voldemort had informants all over the school, and one slip of the tongue about a rogue meeting or late night visitor and it might attract the wrong sort of attention. If that attention put her in a situation where she would have to choose between her own life, and the safety of others -- he didn't know which she would choose. It was true that she had proven her bravery on many occasions, but it wasn't difficult to be strong when you think good will always triumph over evil. Unfortunately she knew better now. She had experienced the bitter taste of loss and her future choices would forever be tainted by it.
Thinking over his dwindling options, he mused that he could always lock her away in the dungeon. He had to admit that keeping her away from Potter and Weasley was a tempting idea. He was sure that away from their influence she might start to think on her own and learn to make better decisions, but it was unlikely that Dumbledore would allow the dissolution of the Dream Team.
With one final glance at his fiancé, he knew what he needed to do. His only option at this time was to learn all he could about her, and hope that he could convince her that her silence was paramount to their lives. The fact that his most vocal student was now quite tight-lipped could be a double-edged sword. She might not let any important information slip, but it would also take him longer to figure out her plans. He knew she was up to something, and he was determined to find out what it was. If she resisted her new role, then whatever she was hiding could be used as leverage to keep her in line.
A time would come when he would have to trust her with his secrets and his life -- whether he liked it or not. He just hoped, for both of their sakes, that his trust would not be misplaced.
When they finally entered the Apothecary, Hermione was bombarded with reminders of the potion storage room. The walls were lined with jars of fermented creatures, while large wooden barrels held their dried counterparts. Exotic plants were pristinely stored in fanciful glass bottles eager to catch one's eye, and imported herbs were drying from the rafters. She had always thought that it was these simple cuttings that gave the store its finesse. Depending on the season the mixture was either a delightful aroma or an appalling stench -- but it seemed never anything in between. Many of the fragrant clusters hung on low beams scattered about the shop. While these intrusions may have given the delightful impression that you were in a world underneath the earth, it also made walking somewhat of an obstacle course.
As she watched the Potions Master make his way to the back of the store, she noticed how fluid he was in his movements. It was obvious that he came here often and not only knew the route he was to take, but each object he would pass along the way. Occasionally he would stop to make a closer inspection of a promising ingredient, and his careful consideration was indicative of how well he observed his surroundings. The man before her didn't miss a thing. His eye for detail, coupled with his intelligence, should have been intoxicating to her brilliant mind, but somehow it filled her with apprehension. She was surprised when she realized that those fears had nothing to do with their upcoming nuptials.
At least not directly.
Unlike her friends, it was obvious that a man with such a critical eye would not be easily fooled. That's not to say that she had purposely deceived her friends; she didn't even realize she had shut them out until it was too late. But that's the funny thing with "forgetting" to tell the truth, if you wait too long it's no longer an innocent omission but an outright lie. And no matter what anyone says, extricating yourself from a lie is never as easy as it seems. That was a fact she was becoming more aware of with each passing day.
After she had returned from her self-imposed exile, her friends believed her to be the same girl they had grown up with. While the similarities were only relevant on the outside, she had been grateful that they didn't question the facade any further. She didn't think that made them stupid or obtuse, they simply took her at face value -- just as friends should.
But while her friends had accepted what she gave them and asked for no more, this man would demand more. Well, except that the word demand was too strong a description for how he collected information. His formula of one part osmosis and two parts intuition was indeed very powerful, but it was also subtle and very undemanding. Given the right amount of time he would easily see though her, and then -- like a deck of cards -- all her plans would come tumbling down. That was something that she couldn't let happen.
She was well aware that his work with the Order was important, and if her secrets threatened their plans (which she suspected they might) she had no doubt that he would expose her in an instant. However she also realized that if her future were to be intertwined with his, then she would need to keep not only her secrets, but his as well. She didn't remember if the saying was "the best defense was a good offence" or vice versa, but as she watched the Professor complete his purchases, she knew that eventually she would have her own leverage over him. If there was one thing she had learned this past year, it was that it's easier to play both sides of the fence if you keep your mouth shut. Until she knew for sure where he stood, her best bet would be to keep her eyes and ears open and her mouth closed. There would come a time when she would request his assistance, but it would not be today.
When the school supplies were finally purchased, and their arms were weighted down with heavy sacks, they left the store for the journey back to Hogwarts. As they walked out of the Apothecary and into the dazzling sunshine, they eyed each other with matching looks of weary understanding. With their individual decisions made, they were unaware that a gauntlet had been cast and that they were both determined to come out victorious.
Lost in their own thoughts, they walked along the well-traveled path to school in silence. The steady rhythm of their lone footsteps, trudging along a path that was usually packed with throngs of excited students, was a somber reminder of how lonely they had both become; and as the autumn wind rustled though the expanse of trees, they were lulled into a sense of comfortable companionship.
With Hogwarts still in the unseen distance, neither of them noticed that the last bend in the road had also obscured their view of Hogsmeade. A few steps later their attention was diverted by the sudden crack that heralded an apparation. Hermione's heart sunk as she listened to the stream of obscenities rush out from under her Professor's breath. It was clear that -- although he knew who it was -- he hadn't been expecting the visit. She had the feeling that all hell was about to break loose.
A/N: Thanks to all for reading and reviewing. Thanks also to NegativeNine for her wonderful beta work!
I know that this has been going a bit slower than many of you would have liked, and I apologize for that. I'm trying to convey what I think they would realistically feel if they were put in such a situation, and that's taking more time than I thought to flush out their emotions (I imagined that I would be much farther along in the story by now.) I also know that the updates have been rather slow lately, and I'm hoping to rectify that situation (RL should never interfere with fanfic.) So, thanks for bearing with me while I sort this all out.
I've been debating on asking this, but what the heck... With these past two chapters, I had hoped to convey that the characters were frustrated with their situation, and confused as to how they should/could continue (i.e. there was lots of assessing and scheming going on.) Because of this, I'm not sure if some of the comments I've received are empathy for the characters and their dilemma, or if this has been difficult to follow. If its the latter and needs clarification, please let me know. Thanks!