AN: Sorry it's been so long! I wish I had a good excuse, but life has just been too much at the moment. My boyfriend of five years asked me to marry him and we will be moving in together in a month. Along with that, I'm busy as ever in school. I'll try to be better, I promise!
The animagi theory in this chapter is of my own contraption – I don't claim to know how J.K. Rowling meant for the transformation to be achieved, but here's my idea.
Chapter Eleven
Animagi and new dangers
Along with the first year's potions essays, Snape brought Hermione a book about animagi, thinking that this branch of magic would be good for her to research, as it might be helpful for her magical control. Her eyes lit up as she saw the title and she lunged forward to grab it.
"May I ask you to read the book only after you have graded the essays?" he asked her, holding the book out of her reach. "If you are to do this for me, Miss Granger, I need you do have them finished by the end of the day."
Hermione pouted as she slumped back against the headboard of the bed. Snape found himself staring at her mouth for a moment and then quickly snapped his eyes back to hers when the pout disappeared.
"Oh, fine," she grudgingly agreed.
Snape placed the book on the nightstand and then waved his wand over the bed, making a small table appear out of thin air that rested on either side of her legs. A quill and some ink came next and then another small table appeared on the floor next to her bed, where he put the essays.
"Need I remind you of how restrictive I am with unnecessary praise?" he wondered and was pleased to see her shake her head. "Good. Just point out mistakes and then add the grade at the bottom."
"I will, sir. Thank you."
Snape handed her the first essay, rolling his eyes slightly at her gratitude over something so mundane as grading essays.
"Enjoy," he said with a smirk and then he inclined his head before he left.
Hermione watched him leave, sighing softly when he was gone, missing his company already. She was really starting to enjoy being around him and she felt a bit empty when she wasn't. He was so different now, compared to how he had been during her years at Hogwarts. She supposed that serving two masters and being forced to play a role for so long had caused the Potions Master to become the severe, grumpy person he had been during the war. He seemed to be more gentle now, at least towards her, and he had shown her kindness in the last couple of weeks. At the same time, there was darkness hanging over him – he was clearly not happy, even though he had survived the war and was now free to do whatever he pleased. Perhaps that was the problem, Hermione mused. Maybe he hadn't expected to survive the war – maybe he had longed for death to release him of the pains living had caused him.
She sighed again and shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind in order to focus on the task at hand. As she started reading the first few essays, she quickly came to realize that Snape might have a point when he said that his students were dunderheads. Not only did a lot of them have trouble spelling, their grammar was poor and their vocabulary was sorely lacking. Granted, they were only first year's, but surely eleven year olds should know how spell cauldron correctly? So far she had seen "coldron", "couldroun" and "kauldrone" (she had snorted out a laugh at the last one). She ended up giving most of the essays A's and P's, but towards the end she was able to give two students E's. Finally, two students who showed promise in the field of Potions.
As soon as she was done with the essays, she started devouring the book Snape had brought her about animagi. Prior to this she had only known that animagi was a mix of meditation and transfiguration. Now she knew that these went along with a potion that needed to be taken before the first attempt to change. The potion alone would be enough to scare away most of the students at Hogwarts who would try to attempt this without the help of a teacher or a supervisor – it was without a doubt the most complicated potion she had ever seen. However, before even trying to brew the potion, you had to master meditation in order to find your inner animal, which held some relation to your personality. Along with that, you had to be outstanding in transfiguration, which Hermione luckily was.
When Snape checked in on her later that evening, she had plowed her way through half of the four hundred page book. Snape could hardly mask his surprise.
"And you marked all the essays?"
"Of course, Professor," she said as she closed the heavy book and put it on the nightstand. "Would you like to check them?"
His eyes narrowed slightly at the sweet tone of her voice. Had she been too lenient in her grading? He made a mental note to check them before he turned in for the evening.
"No," he said curtly and then swiftly changed the subject. "And how are you liking the book?"
"Becoming an animagus is something I would like to explore in more detail," she answered, her eyes getting an excited gleam. "Even though the war is over, I'm sure it's dead useful."
Snape nodded as he sat himself down on the chair by her bed.
"It is," he said with a smirk, thinking back on the times he had gotten out of trouble thanks to his animagus form.
Hermione sat up a little straighter.
"You are an animagus, sir?" she wondered, not quite being able to hide her surprise.
He almost looked insulted at her shock.
"Of course, Miss Granger – animagi is a branch of magic I learned to control in my youth. The first time I transformed I was a sixth year and even though I was surprised to learn what animal I was, it has been very helpful. No one knew. Not even my two masters."
She gave him a searching look.
"If you don't want anyone to know that you are animagi, why are you telling me know?"
Snape shrugged a shoulder and Hermione marveled at how strange it was to see him do this – he always used words to express what he wanted to say, not gestures and facial expressions.
"The war is over and my masters are dead. What point is there to keep it secret any longer? Besides, I have merely told you that I am animagi – I have not told you what animal I can turn into."
Hermione sighed, realizing without difficulty what he meant by that.
"And you're not going to tell me either," she stated, sounding both annoyed and disappointed.
Snape smirked at her tone, finding it surprisingly satisfying that she was so keen and interested in finding out more about him.
"Not today, anyway."
He made a pause, carefully thinking through his proposition before uttering it out loud, making sure he wanted to offer her this chance. He noticed that she was back to pouting and once again he found himself starting at her mouth a moment longer than he perhaps should have. A moment later, he blinked and stood up, turning to look out the window over the grounds of Hogwarts. It was not prudent for him to be staring at her mouth. Not at all. He cleared his throat and then turned his head just enough to be able to look into her eyes.
"Miss Granger, would you like for me to speak with the Headmistress about you becoming animagi?" he wondered and she immediately lit up.
He felt a strange squeeze around his heart and was absolutely startled and angry with himself when he realized this squeeze had occurred simply because he had found a way to make her happy. He recoiled from the thought, not understanding at all where that had come from.
"Oh, would you, Professor?" was her only reply, her smile still so brilliant that he almost wanted to look away from it – such a smile should not be bestowed upon him, but saved for those who took pleasure in her happiness.
Then he, of course, realized that he did find pleasure in seeing her happy. That damned squeeze was proof of that. Then it should be reserved for those who find greater pleasure in her happiness, he reasoned with himself, knowing full well that Harry Potter most likely got a smile like that every time the duo were together.
"I will," he said curtly, suddenly wanting to leave the infirmary very badly. "I must take your leave now, Miss Granger."
She just nodded, knowing that he most likely still had more work to do before he retired for the evening, and bade him good night. Snape strode of, confused at the conflicting emotions twirling around inside of him. He wanted her to smile like that to him, just as he didn't want her to smile like that at him. But more than anything else, he didn't want to wait and long for the moments when she did smile that brilliant smile – he was the snarky, self-centered Potions Master, for Merlin's sake! How was it possible that Hermione Granger had been able to make him long to see her smile in the short time she had been here? How had she been able to get him to care so much?
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The next morning brought Hermione good news. As soon as Poppy noticed that the she was awake, the medi-witch ran a last diagnostic spell over her.
"You are free to leave," Poppy said gently, a fond smile playing on her lips. "But take it easy today as well, Hermione."
"I will, Poppy," the young witch promised as she scrambled out of bed, quickly changing to the normal robes McGonagall had brought her.
She wondered what time it was – glancing out the window she knew it must still be early. The sun had barely risen over the grounds. She bounced off down the corridors to the Great Hall and turning a corner she bounced straight into Snape. He caught her quickly and pulled her into his chest, letting out a small little laugh.
"You really are the clumsiest witch I have ever met," he mused and then let her go, schooling his features back to normal. "I see Poppy has freed you from the jail that was the infirmary bed."
Hermione was still a bit dazed at what had just transpired – if she didn't know any better, she would say that Professor Snape just had hugged her and laughed at the same time. No, it had been unintentional, she decided, choosing not to over think his actions.
"She did indeed," she finally said, "but ordered me to take it easy today as well."
He nodded once, seemingly agreeing with Poppy on that note.
"I would suggest that you take some time to yourself for the rest of the day, and we can start anew again tomorrow," he said and motioned for her to follow him down the corridors. "I spoke with Minerva, and she would be happy to help you with the animagi process."
Hermione let out a little squeal of delight as she clapped her hands a few times. Snape raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to be amused or appalled at the noise she had just made.
"But she demands that we first get back on track with the work we have been doing for your magic. That is our first priority."
"Of course, sir, I understand that. Besides, I won't be able to transform without being in full control of my magic."
He nodded and then suddenly stopped.
"Are you hungry, Miss Granger?" he wondered and saw her nod in reply. "Would you like to dine in your own quarters or in the Great Hall?"
She thought about it for a moment. It didn't matter much to her where she ate, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to face the Slytherin who had been so disrespectful towards her or the rest of the school.
"My quarters," she finally answered.
Snape, who had been expecting this answer, nodded and then led her down the path to the dungeons.
"You did a good job grading the essays," he said suddenly and Hermione's jaw dropped in surprise. "Is it not fascinating how much trouble a word like 'cauldron' can cause?"
Hermione let out a laugh, still relishing in the unexpected compliment he had given her. All too soon they were standing outside the door to Hermione's quarters.
"Sir, I would very much like to take a walk on the grounds later on in the evening... See the sunset," she said, hoping that he would pick up on her desire to not be coped up inside any longer.
He just looked at her for a moment and then he let out a heavy sigh.
"Very well," he replied almost grudgingly. "I will accompany you outside after dinner. Wait for me by the gate – do not venture out on your own."
She agreed and then slipped inside her quarters. It felt good to be home and she immediately called for Dobby, asking him to bring her some toast and tea. Later on she would take a nice, long bath and after that she would most likely settle down in the comfy chair by the fireplace and read a book. She wished it would be after dinner already – and not only because she longed for the great outdoors. No, she simply longed to once again be in the Potions Master's presence.
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Hermione did her best to keep her promise about not going outside on her own, but for reason, the call of the grounds of Hogwarts became too profound for her to ignore any longer. Dinner in the Great Hall had just started and she felt an overwhelming urge that she couldn't explain to not wait any longer. The right thing to do would have gone to find Snape and see if he was done. For some reason she didn't. As she made her way down the path to the Lake, she had no idea of the danger that awaited her.
She sat down by the edge of the Lake, breathing in deeply and looking around in awe at the beauty of her surroundings. The leaves on the trees were in bright colors of red and yellow, while the grass was a rich color of green as the season of fall was still in the middle of preparing for winter. The sun would set in maybe half an hour – she had no trouble just sitting around waiting until then.
"Hello, Hermione."
Hermione went from blissfully happy to terrified in less than a second. She knew that voice – just as she knew that the voice didn't belong on the grounds of Hogwarts. She quickly got to her feet and twirled around to see Ron standing ten feet away from her, his posture relaxed and his expression neutral. He was simply looking at her, his head slightly tilted. Hermione's pulse was racing, her heart beating so hard she was sure he must be able to hear it.
"You know, the wards don't cover the lake – I don't know if it's always been like that, or if some of the wards disappeared with Dumbledore... But I simply rowed a boat over it and ta da – here I am. I've been camping at the edge of the forest for two days, hoping that you'd come down."
How could she have been so bloody stupid, not waiting for Snape?
"I want you to come home, Hermione. You don't belong here – you belong with me and I'm here to take you with me home."
Hermione quickly went through her options. She could try to fight him off when he would start assaulting her, because she was certain that he would, or she could try to run by him and get back up to the Castle. Or she could simply allow him to take her with him home, and surrender herself back to hell she had been in before. She shuddered at that – she really only had the first two options.
"Hermione, say something. Please. It's unnerving that you're just staring at me without saying anything."
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to control her fear.
"Say something!" Ron suddenly yelled and she jumped, her eyes closing for a second as she anticipated his attack.
She still couldn't bring herself to say anything – she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of complying to his demands.
"Answer me, dammit!" Ron bellowed and strode up to her in less than a few seconds.
Hermione finally decided on option number two, realizing that she would not be strong enough to fight him off physically. She started running, side-stepping him, and saw surprise flicker across his face before she was by him. She ran as fast as she could, but it wasn't enough. The next moment Ron tackled her to the ground, falling flat on her face since he had gotten hold of her arms. He flipped her over and straddled her, having no trouble containing her struggling arms in a firm grip. And then, before she knew it, his fist connected to her face and for a moment, everything went black.
"You think that I would allow you to just take off like that, Hermione?" Ron hissed through clenched teeth. "That I wouldn't come after you? You belong with me, Hermione. There's nothing else or no one else for you in this world. Without me you'd be completely alone."
But that wasn't true, Hermione mused as she whimpered in pain, feeling as if the skin under her left eye was on fire. Memories of the past few weeks flashed through her mind, images of Snape, Minerva and Harry being the prominent ones. She wasn't alone and these people knew the truth about what had happened to her – they would stick by her side no matter what. That thought gave her comfort and strength, but before she could start fighting back, he got annoyed at her again for not speaking.
"Dammit, Hermione, say SOMETHING!" he demanded as his fist connected to her right eye.
This time Hermione saw stars – her mind was so groggy that she had trouble remembering what was going on. Then, the next second, Ron flew off her and landed in a heap on the ground a few feet away.
"If I didn't know any better, Mr Weasley, I would say she has no interested in speaking with you."
Never before had Hermione felt so relieved to here someone's voice. She was safe now – she knew that without question. The voice was calm and controlled, but Hermione knew this was only for show. If she could see his face, she knew that she would see that he was angry.
"What the fuck do you know, Snape?" Ron demanded to know as he clumsily got to his feet. "Get the hell out of here, this doesn't concern you!"
Hermione's eyes widened. Had Ron lost his mind? Was he forgetting to whom he was speaking?
"Oh, but it does," Snape answered silkily as he hunched down next to Hermione's head. "I made a promise and I have always been a man of my word."
His hand came to rest on top of Hermione's head and he quickly murmured a spell under his breath. Hermione could feel the pain reducing a little and she inhaled deeply in relief.
"Get your hands off her, you slimy bastard!" Ron ordered and whipped out his wand, sending a Stinging Hex at Snape that the Potions Master blocked without even picking up his wand.
Snape straightened out his back and shot Ron a glowering look.
"Do you really intend to duel me, Mr Weasley?" he wondered, his tone dangerously low. "Are you really sure that's wise?"
Hermione decided that she couldn't just lie here anymore. With a surge of determination and a groan, she heaved herself up into a sitting position. Her eyes immediately went to Ron, who looked like he was fighting an inner battle with himself – flee now or duel the Potions Master?
"Miss Granger, don't move too much," Snape ordered her gently. "You might have gotten a concussion."
Hermione knew that it was most likely Snape's soft tone that got Ron to make up his mind. Not waiting any longer, Ron suddenly yelled "Sectumsempra!" which Snape deflected without a problem.
"Just as arrogant as Potter," Snape sneered at the boy, "trying to use one of my own spells against me. It is futile and an insult, Mr Weasley. Now, may I ask you to leave the grounds of Hogwarts before I force you?"
Snape was itching to hex the boy, but he needed a very good reason to do it so he wouldn't get in trouble.
"I'm not leaving without Hermione," Ron spat and hurled another a hex at Snape, which the Potions Master once again had no trouble blocking.
"I was hoping you would say that," Snape said softly and smirked as he reached for his wand. "Rest assured, Mr Weasley – you will not be taking her with you."
And without further ado, Snape sent a Stinging Hex at Ron, who did not possess the wits to try and block the spell. Ron yelped and jumped back, while Snape sent two more without pausing to see if he was causing any damage. The hex was so simply and hardly left a mark on the victim, so he had no qualms about sending off so many at once. He heard Hermione whimper from the ground and he glanced at her, wondering if she was in more pain than he had originally thought. He decided to end this now, so that he could take her up to Poppy.
"You should not have come here, Mr Weasley. Stupefy!"
Ron fell to the ground, unconscious. Snape bent down over Hermione and gently picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and then he started up the path to the Castle. His heart was still hammering in his chest and it frightened him that he cared so much about seeing her in such a state. This was worse compared to the incident in his classroom, because that had in many ways been an accident. He had seen Ron hit her the second time and he couldn't remember when he last had been so upset. It was one thing seeing what he had done to her in Hermione's memories – it was quite another thing seeing it happen right before his eyes.
"I need to take you back to Poppy, Miss Granger."
"No!" Hermione ground out, her arms tightening around his neck. "Please, no. I don't want to be locked up again."
Snape frowned. He could understand how she felt, knowing full well that Poppy would want to keep her for at least two days solely because this had happened so close to the prior incident.
"Did he use magic against you?" he wondered, thinking that maybe she didn't have to go to infirmary if he hadn't.
He felt Hermione shake her head against his chest.
"Very well, I will take you to your room."
"No!" Hermione yelped, her arms tightening once again around his neck, her grip so firm that it was obvious she wouldn't let him go voluntarily. "Don't leave me."
His heart squeezed and he felt annoyed at the fact. He didn't want to care so much about her, but apparently his bloody heart was treacherous to his mind.
"Would you feel comfortable in my quarters then, Miss Granger?"
He felt her relax slightly and he knew the answer before she voiced it out loud.
"Yes," she whispered, her breath tickling the side of his neck.
He sighed quietly – perhaps it was for the best, taking her to his room. If Ron had been forceful enough, she could have gotten a concussion. It would be a good precaution to keep an eye on her, just in case. She was surprisingly light in his arms, and the rest of the way to the dungeons and his quarters they were silent.
"Aconite," Snape muttered when they reached his rooms, the door swinging open as he had uttered the password – he didn't think that Hermione was conscious enough to remember it.
He went straight to his bedroom, placing her carefully on his bed. Then he went to fetch her a potion for the pain and she took it without hesitation. He sat down on the bed next to her and examined her face, realizing that she would get not one, but two black eyes. Idiot boy – why did men always aim for the face when they hit their wives and girlfriends? Knowing that he had a salve for bruises in a drawer in the bathroom, he left to fetch it.
"Would you like to do this on your own, Miss Granger, or would you like me to do it?" he asked, wondering if Ron had scared her enough so that she wouldn't want to be touched.
Hermione looked up at him with trusting eyes.
"You can do it, sir. Please."
Her voice was so fragile. He sat down next to her and then carefully started massaging the salve into her skin. She winced in pain, even though his touch was feather-light.
"He entered the grounds by rowing a boat over the Lake, sir," she said slowly. "Why are there no wards covering the Lake?"
He looked surprised and he paused for a moment.
"There should be," he answered simply, feeling annoyed that neither he nor Minerva had bothered to check the wards around the Castle after the war had ended. "I will look into it."
When he was done, he simply looked at her for a moment.
"I'm sorry, Professor," she said suddenly, her tone extremely sad.
His eyes narrowed.
"For what, Miss Granger?" he wondered, even thought he probably knew what was plaguing her.
"For going out on my own," she whispered in reply.
Snape sighed and gently took her hand in his own. If Hermione hadn't been so filled with guilt, she probably would have jumped and marveled at the obvious sign of comfort.
"We will talk about this tomorrow, but know that I am not angry or upset with you. Sleep now, Miss Granger."
"Hermione," was all she said, her eyes getting a gleam of fierce determination.
Snape gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand.
"Very well. Sleep now... Hermione."
Her heart swelled in delight at hearing her name for the first time in his silky, soft voice. She smiled at him and he couldn't help but mirror her expression. Then he let her hand go and she closed her eyes so that she wouldn't have see him leave the room. Before she knew it, she was sleeping, even though it was only six thirty in the evening.
Snape on the other hand, was awake for a very long time after he left her. First he went down to where he had left Ron, wanting to make sure that he was gone. He searched the entire edge of the forest and found his campsite close to the Lake. In one swift movement of his wand, he had vanished everything – the tent, the backpack, the storage of food... And then he went down to the Lake, where he set up strong, but very temporary wards. He would have to speak to the staff about it tomorrow – all the wards needed to be checked, that much was certain.
When he was done out on the grounds, he sat down in a chair by the fireplace in his living room, sipping slowly on a large amount of Firewhiskey. By the time he fell asleep on his couch, Hermione had already been sleeping for almost seven hours.
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AN: Please review! And I promise to do all that I can to update more often.
