A/N: Alas, another vacation time has drawn to a close, and tomorrow Jocelyn will fly back to DC. We've had such fun working on our stories together, and as usual, she has been invaluable in her contributions to my efforts. What would I do without her? My thanks to everyone who has reviewed the story thus far. I appreciate it so much. Mum
Chapter Thirteen
Her mind was in a fog, as Hermione slowly made her way back up to the occupied areas of the castle. Her hands kept moving to her face without any conscious thought on her part, fingers touching lips that felt swollen and rather bruised. He kissed me. Snape kissed me.
Forgetting where she'd intended to go, she leaned into the wall, resting her forehead against the cool stone. What was I thinking? I let him kiss me.
Something tightened in her chest as she relived the moments in the Potions Lab. The feeling of his hands on her...the taste of him. I...I kissed him back...
...and I LIKED it!
It wasn't as if she hadn't been kissed before. She had been, first by Victor, then Ron...but never, never like this. The intensity of her own reaction astonished her. How could she have become so attracted to Snape? She admired him, yes...for his intelligence and bravery when he'd worked for the Order as Dumbledore's spy, respected him as a professor and a master in his field, believed in him when he told her that he was still loyal to Dumbledore, while she stood shaking in the Headquarter's kitchen, but when had all of that turned to more? Because it had. When she considered him now, it was as a man, not a teacher. Someone whose hunger for knowledge was as great as hers, whose intelligence matched her own. She supposed she had always appreciated him for that...that was the reason she'd disagreed so strongly with Harry and Ron whenever they prattled on about how Snape was the bane of the whole human race.
And come to think of it...with a voice like velvet and eyes that burned right through you, he was intellect wrapped up in a very sexy package. She groaned in dismay, and both hands came up to cover her face.
What the hell had happened to her? She would have been content for the kiss to go on forever...she'd never felt that way about any kiss before. It had been Snape who'd ended it, releasing her so abruptly that she'd staggered backwards. She'd stared at him in shock, dismayed by the appalled look on his face. Then he'd turned to the Floo and vanished before she could react.
Why had he kissed her? Surely not...no. She couldn't fool herself into thinking that he wanted her, not that way. Not a young, inexperienced woman who wasn't very attractive. No, there had to be another reason.
Hermione's blood began to boil as the true implications of what Snape must have been thinking sank in. He'd kissed her because he wanted something from her, if not now, then later. He must have actually believed that kissing her would somehow bring her to heel. Maybe it was nothing more than thinking that she'd be more compliant about working with him instead of following Harry, as he demanded.
That...that...manipulative git! Ron and Harry were right. He uses people. He thinks nothing of other people's feelings. He expected that she could be controlled after one little (all right, not so little) kiss, did he? He had another thing coming!
Furious, Hermione marched down the hallway, putting as much distance between herself and the dungeons as quickly as she could, determined to avoid any further meetings with Snape. Rounding a corner, she was pleased to see Neville heading in her direction. Snape would never approach her if she was with someone else.
"Hello, Neville. Is the party finally winding down?"
He said nothing for a moment, staring at her with a look of concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
Now he looked flustered, as he stammered out an answer. "Your face...i-it's all red. And you look like...I mean, your," he gestured towards her mouth, "I mean..."
Her hand flew to her face as comprehension dawned. She'd been so upset, and intent on returning to her friends, that she'd forgotten that she still looked like a woman who had been rather thoroughly snogged.
"I...I...it's not what you think...really..." She was stammering as badly as Neville.
He flushed, and looked away from her. "It's okay, Hermione. The Headmistress told us...Luna, Ginny, and me...about Malfoy being here in the castle. I figured you'd gone to see him when you left the party."
It took a moment, but then she realized what he was saying.. Neville thought that her appearance was because she'd been with Draco. It was an obvious assumption on his part, and it meant that no one else would be suspected. A feeling of relief washed over her, only to be banished by another horrifying thought. If Harry and Ron thought she'd been with Malfoy, they'd go for his throat.
"Neville, please don't say anything about this," she pleaded. "Harry and Ron will go berserk."
Too late. Voices heralded the approach of their friends, and Hermione stared at Neville with frightened eyes. Harry showed up first with his arm around Ginny, and Ron and Luna were right behind them.
"There you are," Ginny called. "We've been wondering where you got off to and..." Ginny's voice trailed off, and the four of them stared at her. Harry's face went hard and suspicious as Ron stepped up for a closer look.
"Hermione..." Ron's voice was low and angry. "Where have you been?"
She looked from Harry to Ron, unable to answer. Neville reached over and took her hand.
"She's been with me."
Now it was their turn. They looked from Neville to her and back again.
"With you, Neville?" Ginny asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Neville replied, defiantly. "Why not?"
She couldn't keep the astonishment off her face, but recovering quickly, Hermione smiled at the others. "Yes," she said. "Why not?"
"No, I mean...that's terrific," Ginny said. "We just didn't expect it."
Ron was grinning at Neville. "We thought we'd close out Christmas by going up to the Astronomy tower and looking at the moon on the snow. Want to come?"
"Sure," Neville put an arm around her waist. She glanced at Harry as the group turned to go. He eyes were on her, and the look on his face was one of disbelief. It didn't bode well for Draco.
The next few days went by in a haze, as they finished the holiday celebrations and began to prepare for the ritual. Remus and the Headmistress were frequently in conference, and Tonks came in and out of the castle so often, that it was obvious she was running errands and sending messages for the Order.
Harry's anxiety and frustration were almost palpable as he waited to participate in the destruction of the Horcrux. His temper was short, and the others gave him a wider berth than usual. He had almost nothing to say to Hermione. From time to time, she'd feel his eyes on her, and when she looked up, his expression was always angry. She'd refused to discuss the events of the Yule celebration night, only insisting on her story that she'd been with Neville. It wasn't helping the situation, she was sure, that she couldn't help being distracted and preoccupied.
It was Snape and the kiss, over and over again, playing in her mind. Every time she thought of him, she felt the heat creep up into her face, and knew that she was blushing. Reminding herself that he was an opportunistic swine and a manipulative git would enable her to counter her emotional response for awhile, but the slightest memory of how his lips felt on hers, and she was gone again. The question of why he had kissed her was nagging at her and she could come up with no different response than she had before, no matter how many times she considered it. But underlying it all was the realization that no matter his reasons, she really wanted him to kiss her again.
Nearly a week went by, and still they had not been summoned by the Headmistress to participate in the destruction of the Horcrux. The afternoon was particularly quiet, and Harry paced restlessly in the common room while the others played cards in front of the fireplace. It was cold and wet outside, most of the snow having melted into a slushy mess. Hermione threw down her cards in disgust as Luna won the hand for the third time in a row. She rose to stare out a window at the grey sky and the wet stones below.
"Do you suppose it'll snow again?" she asked no one in particular. "The clouds look heavy."
"Probably," Ron replied with a shrug.
"Harry, stop pacing," Ginny called to him. "Come join us in another game."
He shook his head. "I'm not interested in games. There's just one thing I want to do right now."
"They'll send for us when they're ready," Hermione reminded him. "Conditions have to be right. You can't rush this kind of ritual."
"If something doesn't happen soon," Harry spoke moodily, "I'm going to McGongall and make her give me the Horcrux."
"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione said. "She won't do that."
Harry threw himself into a nearby chair. "I can't stand waiting any more."
Hermione and Ginny exchanged a worried glance. Harry's state of mind was stressing all of them.
The sound of the common room door opening caught their attention. Remus stepped into the room and smiled at the group of them. "It's pretty quiet in here."
"We've been waiting to hear from you," Hermione told him. "We're getting pretty anxious."
"All right, I guess you're due some answers," Remus said. "Are any of you familiar with Convergence spells?"
The group turned and looked at Hermione. She almost felt as if she were back in class. She frowned, trying to recall what she'd learned on the subject.
"A Convergence spell is where more than one wizard brings their magic to focus on a specific objective. That way, the effect of the spell is enhanced and more effective than if only a single person cast it."
"Very good, Miss Granger," Remus teased her.
"Is that something like what we did when we cast three different spells at the same time to destroy the locket?" Ron asked.
"Similar, but not exactly the same," Remus replied. "In this case, we will use our powers to reinforce the power of the person who casts the single spell."
"When do we start?"Harry was on his feet, and the rest followed suit.
"Right away, if you'd care to join me in the Room of Requirement."
The interior of the Room was empty. At the far end stood a pedestal on which was placed a small glass globe. Remus instructed the group to stand several feet away from the pedestal.
"Harry and Hermione, let's have the two of you up here first." Hermione came forward and stood behind a line that appeared in the floor. Harry joined her.
"You first, Hermione. Cast a destruction spell at the globe."
Hermione drew out her wand, aimed at the globe, and cried out, "Destructio!" Immediately, the globe shattered.
"Good." Remus drew his own wand and cast a quick Reparo at the globe, which resumed it place on the pedestal. "Now, do it again."
She repeated her earlier action; the globe didn't budge. Her spell seemed to pass harmlessly around it.
"Now, Harry. I want you to aim your wand at the globe, but concentrate on Hermione. Visualize passing your power into her wand. Don't think about the destroying the globe, just think about reinforcing Hermione."
Harry drew his wand and concentrated as Remus had instructed. Hermione cast the spell again with no effect upon the globe.
"Neville, come and stand beside them. You try to add your power to Hermione's spell along with Harry."
Neville drew his wand. The two of them kept their eyes on Hermione. She thought she could feel, this time, a growing energy within her. She took a deep breath and cast the spell again. The force of the magic from her wand caused the two boys to take a startled step backwards, and the globe exploded.
"Excellent." Remus repaired the globe and cast additional spells on it. "Now you know how it works. I want the six of you to practice Converging your magic against the globe. I've set it so that it will require a different amount of power each time before you can destroy it."
Hermione stepped away and let Luna take the central position. At first, she found it difficult to concentrate her magic on Luna without letting it fly at the globe herself. It was a different experience. When she successfully Converged, she could feel the enhanced magic as it left Luna's wand.
Remus left them to practice, and they worked on the spell for the rest of the day. When they met in the Great Hall for the evening meal, they were able to report to him that they'd been successfully destroying the globe for the last couple of hours.
"So when do we do it?" If anything, Harry seemed even more impatient than he had been in the hours before the practice.
"The ritual must be conducted under a new moon. That will be in two days time," Professor McGonagall answered him.
"Where are we going to do it?" Hermione asked. "These things seem to have a habit of burning down buildings when they go."
Remus laughed. "We've got that covered as well. But the location will have to remain secret until we are ready for the actual ritual."
"We're concerned that Voldemort may make an attempt to stop us. Although the Order will be on hand to guard the location, we still intend to take every precaution," the Headmistress said.
"Two more days to wait," Ron moaned. "I can't stand the suspense."
"I can," Harry said. "That gives me some time to take care of another problem."
Hermione glanced at him questioningly, but he ignored her look. Asking for a large slice of chocolate torte, he engaged in small talk with the others without making any further reference to his plans.
Continuing their practice the next day, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna met again in the Room of Requirement. Remus had spelled the globe to offer increased resistance as they worked, and it was requiring a great deal more combined concentration to destroy it.
Hermione was growing concerned as time passed and Harry and Ron had not put in an appearance. "They need the practice as much as we do. Where can they be?"
Ginny shrugged, watching Neville and Luna working on the globe. "Harry just told me that they had something they needed to do, and that they'd join us later. I wouldn't worry too much about it. They're both aware of how important this is, especially Harry."
"I suppose you're right," Hermione conceded. "Let's add ourselves into this round. You take the central position."
After three unsuccessful attempts, they made another effort and this time, Hermione felt the surge of energy as her own power Converged with Ginny's and the others'. The globe shattered in a burst of crystal, and Ginny clapped her hands. Luna was staring thoughtfully at the pile of shards.
"Did you see how the colors combined just before it shattered," she asked them.
"What colors? I didn't see any," Neville answered.
"The energies coming from us had the same color as our auras," Luna explained, "and when they combined, the color turned a brilliant blue and the globe exploded."
"I think you're the only one of us who sees the auras," Hermione suggested. "I didn't see any colors either, but that's an interesting fact…the combining, I mean."
"It does take an effort to learn to see them, but it becomes pretty natural after a while," Luna said.
"How do you train yourself to…" Hermione began, when the door of the room opened and Ron and Harry walked in. She stared at them in horror and heard Ginny gasp behind her.
Ron's face had a darkening bruise on the cheek, and the sleeve of his t-shirt was torn. Harry's eye was threatening to turn an incredible shade of black, and he was favoring his right wrist. On both their faces was an expression of smug satisfaction.
"What's going on? You've been fighting," Ginny said, her hands on her hips, looking remarkably like Molly Weasley.
"Nothing to do with you," Ron replied.
"Were you fighting with each other?" Hermione took Harry's hand and examined the scraped knuckles.
Harry shook his head. "Don't worry about it."
Luna came forward and checked the bruise on Ron's face. "I suppose you went after Draco Malfoy."
"What!" Hermione spun around and looked at Ron.
"They've been wanting to ever since Christmas night," Luna continued dreamily.
Ron met Hermione's horrified look with a defiant one of his own. "Let's just say someone needed to be put in his place."
She started to walk away, when Harry caught her arm. "Leave it, Hermione. Just stay away from him."
Wrenching her arm away, she roared, "Don't you dare tell me who I can and can't see, Harry Potter! And you too, Ronald Weasley—I am not your sister, I am not your daughter, and even if I was, it'd still be none of your bloody business! YOU stay away from him from now on, or those bruises will be the LEAST of your injuries!"
Without waiting for their reply, she turned furiously and headed out the door. Returning to the common room, she used the Floo connection that had been set up by the Headmistress to go to Draco's quarters. Stumbling out of the hearth and into his rooms, she found him sprawled on the sofa with an ice pack held to his face.
"Oh, great," Draco drawled, staring at her with his uncovered eye. "Just what I need right now. A visit from the Gryffindor princess herself."
"Draco, I'm sorry…I had no idea…"
"Do me a favor. Leave...before Potter and Weasley decide to come back for another go."
"I never expected that you'd end up involved in this. Everyone just assumed that I was with you Christmas night. I didn't think that Harry and Ron would come and…just what did they do?"
"Accused me of compromising the innocence of their best friend." He pressed a finger gingerly to his jaw, and winced. "Making sure that I'd think twice before trying it again. Honestly, if I'm going to get beaten up for seducing innocent maidens, I should at least get to enjoy the seduction part!"
He sat up and removed the ice pack, exposing the swelling around his eye. Hermione dropped into a chair and groaned.
"So tell me, Granger, just what were you up to that set the two of them off like that?"
"I'd been with Neville and they…"
"Yeah, they mentioned that." He shook his head. "They don't believe it, and neither do I."
"Really, I…"
"Give it up, Granger. You weren't with Longbottom and you certainly weren't with me." He shot her an evil grin. "If I'm going to take the blame for a snog that I never got, you should at least tell me who the lucky man was!"
"No, I didn't…there IS no man!"
His grin widened. "As a matter of fact, Granger, from the way I view this situation, you owe me a snog!"
Hermone stared at him, wondering for a minute if he was truly serious, when he burst out laughing. "Honestly, you should have seen your face!" He grimaced again, and brought his hand up to his jaw. "Ow, hurts when I laugh."
She shook her head, laughing in spite of herself. "Who would have thought it? A Slytherin with a sense of humor."
"So who was it?"
With a sigh, Hermione answered, "I told Harry and Ron it's none of their business, and it's none of yours either."
Draco regarded her for a moment. She could tell from the expression in his eyes, that he was considering her answer. "Well, it obviously wasn't Potter or Weasley. And you admit that it wasn't Longbottom. Hmm…let's see if I can figure this out this little puzzle."
"Don't be ridiculous!" she squeaked.
"There aren't a lot of choices in the castle right now. Lupin has his own woman, so that rules him out. And there's Flitwick or Filch, but I don't think either one is exactly your type. So…"
"Draco, that is just…please, stop!" Hermione pleaded, half-scared, half-revolted.
He continued as if she hadn't spoken. "That leaves a member of the Order then, doesn't it?"
Hermione jumped to her feet and made for the fireplace in a panic. "I don't want to talk about this!"
"Wait, I didn't mean to…" Draco caught her arm and stopped her. He stared at her in astonishment. "You're really scared…"
She refused to meet his eyes. Trying, and failing to keep her voice from shaking, she said, "Look, Draco…I'm sorry Harry and Ron brought you into this, and I'll give them what-for about it, I promise. Now I'd appreciate it if you just wouldn't talk about this…at all…to anyone. It's nobody's business but mine."
"This doesn't make any sense. If you're that desperate to keep it from Potter and Weasley…not an Order member…" He went completely still.
The look on his face changed from confusion to shock. "I don't believe it. He told me that he had a contact here in the castle, but I never thought…"
Hermione looked at him, and he saw confirmation in her eyes.
"Merlin, Granger…you're going to have the cell right next to mine!"
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