A/N: MAJOR HBP SPOILERS. Read at your own risk.

Wow, thanks so much to all my reviewers! If you hadn't guessed by the last chapter, the chapters from now on are going to be much longer than the first. That was more of an intro. Oh, and I know Harry's acting kind of out of character, and he will in this chapter too, but I hope to change that in future. Again, I appreciate all the lovely reviews!

One random question that has little or nothing to do with the fic… Does anyone know when Hermione's birthday is? I know when Harry's and Ron's are… but I don't remember Hermione's even being mentioned. Just something I wondered. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. The flashback is an excerpt from The Order of The Phoenix.

To Prove The Impossible

by Chibi Animagus

The three arrived the next morning at Little Portney, a village consisting of a cluster of houses, a general store, and a pub. Unsure of whether the "town" was Muggle or magical, Hermione made certain that they aired on the side of caution. Robes were exchanged for Muggle clothing and placed in the suitcases Hermione had magically shrunk inside each of their pockets. Ron had seen her do this every day, and yet each time she shrunk the luggage and picnic basket, she received an awed look and a "'Mione, you are bloody brilliant!" Hermione had been pleased the first time, but now would reply briskly that if he had paid attention in Charms class a few months ago, he would be able to do it as well.

The Boy Who Lived seemed in a better mood once they had spotted the village; Hermione seemed to think that while Harry kept quiet, the silence was depressing him. To rectify the situation, Hermione had taken to asking Ron questions about Quidditch, which in turn caused Ron to put a hand to her forehead and inquire if she was under the Imperious Curse. Harry did not often join in, but occasionally would begin to argue with his redheaded friend about defensive tactics and the like. Hermione was just thankful that Harry was keeping himself together instead of jumping down the throat of anyone who said 'how are you', as he had in their fifth year.

As soon as Hermione had paid for their groceries in what was indeed a Muggle grocery store, she turned around to Harry and Ron, only to find they had disappeared. With an irritated huff, she marched down the only street in the village and threw open the door to the pub. Sure enough, they were seated at the bar, Ron chatting amiably with a very fat, very dirty man wearing suspenders and a shirt that didn't even cover his bulge. Harry, spotting Hermione in the doorway, had the grace to look sheepish, but Ron's mouth kept flapping, completely unaware of her presence.

"So we're on our way, as I said, to Godric's Hollow, me and my two friends. You've met Harry Pot--"

Hermione seized Ron's arm in a pincer-like grip and dragged him out the door, causing most of the inhabitants of the pub to stare, or to point and shout things like "some jealous woman you got there, son!" Harry got up and followed them, shrugging in response to the drunken questions they aimed at him.

Once they were outside, away from the pub, Hermione let Ron's arm go. The look on her face was positively livid, one to rival Snape himself. Before the tirade began, Ron tried to soothe her with a "'Mione, we haven't had a bit of fun in ages, we just stopped for a minute to--"

"--To completely give us away?" Hermione hissed in the loudest and most frightening whisper the two boys had ever heard, "Honestly, did you ever stop to think, Ron, that perhaps there was someone in that pub who knew who Harry was?"

"This is a Muggle town, and there was hardly anyone in there--"

"Exactly! Every single person in that retched place heard you babbling on about Godric's Hollow and who knows what else! And Harry," Hermione rounded on him, her hands on her hips, "I'm surprised at you! I would have thought you would recognize a stupid idea when you saw one! After everything that's happened to you --"

Ron's ears had turned a dangerous shade of red now, and he was spluttering at Hermione, attempting-- rather unsuccessfully-- to cut into her lecture. Harry, who had remained so quiet and mellow during their journey, was suddenly incensed, his signature green eyes flashing angrily.

"Oh, so Harry would recognize a stupid idea and not me, is that right?" Ron said, almost yelling.

"Yeah, Hermione," Harry yelled, ignoring Ron, "Well at least I knew that Snape was a filthy, evil, traitorous git all along! 'Oh, honestly, Harry'," he said nastily in a high-pitched, mocking voice, "'Professor Snape is really a nice man, Dumbledore trusts him!' Didn't do him much good, did it?"

Harry was breathing hard, now, oblivious to the tears welling up in Hermione's eyes, and the slightly abashed look on Ron's face, all anger forgotten in Harry's outburst.

"Harry, mate, we're not talking about Snape, here, this has nothing to do with--"

"DIDN'T DO MY PARENTS MUCH GOOD, EITHER! DID IT? DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT STUPID IDEAS, HERMIONE, BECAUSE I KNOW ALL ABOUT THEM! YOU THINK YOU'RE SO SMART, BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU JUST DON'T-- BLOODY-- UNDERSTAND!"

"Harry James Potter," Hermione said, her voice deadly quiet, steady despite the tears coursing down her face, "If you don't start acting your age… I swear I'll slap you."

For a moment, everything was completely still.

Harry was the first to break the silence. "Hermione… Hermione, I'm sorry…" he said, laying a hand on her quivering shoulder. Ron seemed to spring into action, then, and pulled Hermione into an embrace, shooting his best mate a look that said 'great job, Potter'.

"Hermione, that was horrible of me," Harry continued, sounding ashamed with himself, "You didn't deserve it. You were right about the pub, I should have known it was a stupid idea--" (here Ron made an indignant noise) "--and I'm sorry for bringing up Snape right now, I know he had nothing to do with what you were angry about. That was… that was…"

"Tactless?" Ron offered.

"Yes, thank you Ron," Harry said, sounding only slightly sarcastic. When Hermione's sniffles had slowed, Ron drew away, and let Hermione wipe her face with her sleeve.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Hermione said, "I'm just tired, and so are you. And I know you haven't had time to really… think about… things…"

While the boys weren't exactly sure what 'things' she was referring to, Harry safely decided to assume she meant that he hadn't had time to let Dumbledore's death sink in. Ron decided to assume she meant lunch.

"I'm sorry too, 'Mione, I wasn't thinking…" Ron said, his ears red again. Hermione smiled, and sniffled at him, beaming through her sparkling eyes. "It's fine, Ron, just… we need to be careful. As Harry so… erm… loudly… pointed out, we just can't trust most people."

After the boys had patted her on the back a bit, and Hermione had assured them that she was fine, the Dream Team made their happy way out of the village of Little Portney, and down the road that would lead them closer to their destination.

After many years of NEWT classes and first year exams, Severus Snape could proudly say that he was quite familiar with hysterics, thank you very much. The mere sight of him was usually enough to make Longbottom wet himself. Add a few insults, a drop of sarcasm, and a fifteen-inch essay on bezoars, and he had students fainting, sobbing, and purposely dumping scalding-hot cauldrons over their own heads in hopes that it would end their misery. Yes, Severus Snape had thought he had seen it all.

Until, of course, today.

Every other fit of hysterics he had witnessed had been due to a compilation of stress, lack of sleep, and hatred of him, the greasy git. Never before had someone-- anyone-- cried because…

… No, he decided, it couldn't be. The chit was only tired, as she had told her… friends… It was preposterous even to suggest that the girl had been worked up because Potter had insulted… him, of all people. True, Granger had certainly believed that he was innocent, but Snape had seen her tear up before when he had insulted her in class. Potter had been mocking her, and she hadn't been sleeping well. That was why she had cried, and that was all there was to it.

Or was it?

In the back of his mind, Snape knew that he was making a big deal out of nothing. Yet… he hadn't known that Granger used to defend him to Potter and Weasley. Even if it was only because the late Headmaster trusted him, Snape had never heard anyone bother to stand up for him….

Or, rather, no had bothered to stand up for him once he had insulted them properly…

"…Leave him alone. What's he done to you?"

"Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…"

"You think you're funny, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone…"

"You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus…"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her…"

"I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus…"

Snape snapped out of his happy memories as the Dream Team stopped just ahead of him. In the golden light filtering through the canopy above them, he could see the three of them laughing and smiling, basking in the glow of each other's company. Instead of his usual deprecating thoughts on the matter, Snape was startled to find that today he only felt strangely alien, as though he didn't belong in such a happy scene….

Snape snarled at himself, disgusted with his sudden sentimental thoughts. He had a job to do, and he was doing it. And since when had he ceased to come up with witty and insulting names for the Granger girl in his head? There was nothing else for it but to make up for lost time.

Chipmunk! Insufferable Know-It-All! Mudblood!

Snape froze, an icy feeling blooming in the pit of his stomach.

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Some yards away, Hermione was laughing at some joke Weasel Face had made, her face bathed in sunlight, her honey-brown eyes sparkling with life, and intelligence, and joy. Something twisted inside of him, then. Something that made him feel immediately guilty for even thinking the word 'Mudblood'.

Never mind the fact that Snape hadn't used that word, even in the confines of his mind, in many years. And the fact that Lily Evans had never bothered to defend him ever again. The fact of the matter was that the Granger girl did not deserve to be thought of in that way, and would not be anymore, at least in his mind.

Snape smirked, as the irony of his life once again made itself obvious. 'Odd', he thought to himself with a grimace, 'how I supposedly belong to both parties in this bloody war… and yet the Granger girl is the only one even remotely on my side.'

In the waning light, Snape saw Potter and Weasley making themselves comfortable on the ground, Potter disappearing under his Invisibility Cloak. The insufferable know-it-all, however, sat upright under a tree, explaining something to Weasley, probably why she was not preparing to go to sleep. After several minutes had passed, and the redhead's breathing had slowed, the Granger girl did something strange.

She turned around, squinting, as if looking for something or someone in his general vicinity. Snape looked around, confused, for a moment, before he realized…

… She was looking for him.

Taken aback by this, Snape had no idea how to respond. He knew the chit couldn't see him under his Invisibility Cloak, but Severus Snape was not a friendly, agreeable man. If the idiot girl thought he would reveal himself so he could wave at her and reassure her that he was there, she was wrong.

After a moment, she gave up, and laid down under the tree, resting her head on her elbow. As if she needed a pillow with all that hair. Snape smirked, relieved that his ability to insult the girl had not completely left him. Then, remembering the work he had to do elsewhere, he prepared to Apparate. He readied his wand, straightened his Cloak to ensure it covered him completely, and…

… Sat down. To stay a moment more, for the sake of the Golden Trio and The Cause, couldn't hurt.

A/N: How'd you like it? Review please, I would just love it.

Tell me if you think anyone is out of character, especially the greasy git himself. I think I may be making the poor guy too sentimental and "nice" too quickly, but hey. He just killed the one person who trusted him (or so he thought) a few months ago. He's been under a lotta stress and pain.

And to Lerr: "hate you" is an understatement. You better review. ;D