Author's note: Hello everyone, first of all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to EVERYONE! WHOO! now on with the story. :) I love the character of Severus Snape and I'm very much saddened by the way they continually make him seem like such a bad guy. also- i have several things to say about the sixth book which i have just re read because i went to a very convincing site, i'll put it at the end. for those who have not read "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" don't read the ending Author's note.
Chapter 12 – The Faculty Discussion
Five members of the Hogwarts faculty sat in Dumbledore's office which rather resembled a board room. Or at least the wizard's idea of what a board room was.
Dumbledore was seated on one of the violet upholstered chairs positioned at the head of the table. To His right sat a prudish looking Mc Gonagall who looked rather like she had just ingested the entire juice content of a lemon, to his left sat the ever impassive Severus Snape. Sitting quite impatiently next to the head of the Gryffindor house sat Pomona Sprout the head of Hufflepuff and across her stood Filius Flitwick.
There was also, of course a large bowl of chocolate frogs all frozen in various poses.
The Heads of house had all gathered not only for their monthly meeting with the head master, but also to discuss a most important matter.
Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.
It seemed to be all they could talk about nowadays.
"They're going to want to sleep in the same bed after their wedding." Sprout spoke up. "They should have their own room. It should also be a lot easier to take care of their baby that way. That is what they want, yes?"
Snape very nearly rolled his eyes.
Sprout was good at her job, she really was, but she was too much of an optimist for him to get on with her. Did she really honestly believe that it was that simple? Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger would get married and they would suddenly love each other and everything will be alright in the end? Never mind the years of animosity, the gaping chasm of taboo that separated them. Hell, one was a Gryffindor the other Slytherin. Perhaps that rivalry would penetrate that witch's fertilizer addled brain.
"Perhaps not." he said in a low voice. He had to fight, really fight to keep the condescending tone out of his words. "You are forgetting that we are progressing on the terms that Master Malfoy and Mistress Granger have progressed further than merely being on civil terms."
Sprout frowned at him.
"But if they're having a baby." she said. "They are to be married and they seem to be completely in love with each other, certainly-"
"Certainly, what?" Snape asked arching an eyebrow. "Certainly they must be telling the truth? I must assure than both Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy are quite capable of deception."
Sprout looked rather put out.
"Well, Severus, since you seem to know about everything, why don't you come up with suggestions?" she asked sourly.
"Unlike you, Sprout, I do not immediately blurt out the first thing that comes to mind." he said smoothly and with just a hint of sneer. "I prefer to think this over before I continue on and on about them."
"You have not been a help at all, Severus." snapped Mc Gonagall. "All you've been doing is turning down everything that we've come up with so far."
Snape frowned thoughtfully.
Albus leaned forward in his seat, he had been content before to just listen to the head of house banter, but he was sure that what Snape was going to say next ought to be quite interesting.
"Perhaps not the same bed." he said finally. "But you seem to be on to something, Sprout." the herbology professor actually looked surprised, Snape barely ever agreed with anyone. "Perhaps an annex of rooms, big enough for the two of them and a baby, a wedding gift of a sort, from us to them. We then provide them with portkeys in which to utilize to get there every night."
"Wouldn't that be in essence forcing them to share a bed?" asked Flitwick in his high voice.
Dumbledore shook his head, catching on to what Severus was saying.
"No of course not." he said, his eye twinkling behind his glasses. "We shall be forcing them to stay in close quarters but not in the same bed. We shall of course be providing Mister Malfoy with a comfortable couch for him to sleep on."
Snape almost smiled at that. he did have a feeling young Miss Granger would on no certain terms allow him to share a bed with her, and Draco-even as Slytherin as he was-was too much of a gentleman to insist upon taking the bed from a pregnant woman.
"It will provide them close quarters in which to raise and hide their child," Mc Gonagall piped in looking rather pleased. "But also we won't be forcing them together. They will be able to sleep in their regular dormitory. They will, won't they, Albus?"
"Certainly, Minevra."
"We will provide them a nanny, of course." Flitwick spoke up. "Surely gifted pupils such as Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy are not to cease their studies?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"Of course not." he said. "The child is not due until September, or so I am told." he glanced at Snape. The potions master's face betrayed no emotion. Draco had disclosed to him when they had copulated, but he was not about to break that confidence of his Godson to this bunch on ingrates. "Until then we keep everything under wraps, even from most of the faculty. Next year both of them will be heavily piled down with prefect duties in 'preparation' for their seventh year." he paused. "In seventh year they will be our head students. They shall be married in May"
Snape and Mc Gonagall nodded, sprout looked rather appalled at the idea of a head student not coming from a Hufflepuff but since Helena Whittleby was head girl this year, (along with Gryffindor, Maurice Frond) she was not too opposed to the idea.
Flitwick paused for a moment, his rather sunny out look on the whole situation changed drastically.
One of his house being looked over again? (There hadn't been a Ravenclaw head of house for five years.) Just because he was not in need of special treatment?
"And what of Terry Boot? A prefect in my house that we were considering for the head position?" he squeaked angrily. He jumped up in his seat so as to actually be seen by the rest of the present professors. "Surely he will not be overlooked?"
Silence greeted the comment.
"it seems that we have forgotten that these two students have made a mistake." He said rather firmly.
Dumbledore frowned, looking rather ponderous for a second. Then he glanced at Snape, his eyes twinkling. Snape turned to him and barely resisted the urge to scoff. Albus, the old fiend, was challenging him. The dastardly codger was leaving this up to him.
"And they have taken responsibility for their actions." The potions master said, at this point rather annoyed. "They have displayed exactly the traits we have been looking for in our heads students. They have come to a mature understanding of their limitations and they have taken the necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety of all parties involved. Is this not the type of character we wish to see in our head students?"
Snape wasn't suite sure he remembered a time when he was more revolted at himself. He had broken into the righteous speech to convince the other members of the meeting.He could not believe he had resorted to such obvious measures.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.
Sprout looked like she might start clapping.
Mc Gonagall nodded once and smiled crookedly.
Flitwick, however, still looked skeptical.
Oh, Merlin, now the midget is just getting annoying. Time to resort to more underhanded measures.
"As you may not yet know, Flitwick." he said in the oily tones he saved for the rare occasion that he wasn't scolding nor sneering. "Young Boot, has made a turn for the worse in his potions grade. His first few potions were fair but they have steadily declined to a sub par level, not enough to fail, but enough to take him out of the running for the head student position."
Flitwick sent him his equivalent of a dirty glare, Snape ignored him. It was rather hard to take someone seriously when they had to stand up as straight as they could one a leather chair to meet your eyes as you sit across from him.
"So as you can see, the two we have decided on are the two only eligible students for the head boy and head girl status." he said. "Do we have anymore to discuss?"
Mc Gonagall glanced around the room to make sure that everything about the two students were settled. It was time to move on to other matter before the meeting was adjourned.
"Well, actually, there was something about a new muggle section of the library..."
Author's note: please visit makes a LOT of sense.