Chapter Thirty

That weekend, Hermione and Severus brewed a good deal of healing potions in preparation for St Mungo's next order. A brief visit from Minerva provided them the order itself, and despite Hermione's earlier doubts, she had to admit that Severus had been spot on in his assumptions of what they'd ask for. On Monday, the Minister stopped by with the wolfsbane, and Severus locked himself in the lab alone, claiming the plant was too dangerous in its current state to risk her exposure.

"Your hands need a break," he told her when she pouted over breakfast. "Besides, when the time comes to brew the wolfsbane, you won't have time for studies. Get them done this week, and next week we will begin the preparations for the brew."

Begrudgingly she agreed, and though she frowned at the closed lab door as she moved to gather her things, she did as he had said.

She struggled to focus. For the first time, she understood why Harry did not value a full education; some of the things they were learning, while fascinating, seemed so utterly useless in lieu of everything happening around them. When the three of them had been together at Hogwarts, she could spend her free time focusing on helping Harry with his various tasks or put effort into preparing for the war, but here... Sequestered away with nothing helpful to do, she once again fought against the feeling of uselessness. Her schoolwork wasn't going to help slay werewolves, or take down Death Eaters. So she resolved to finish the work as fast as possible, and to turn her attention back to helping.

By Wednesday, she had only one class left to complete, and she sat on the couch in the living room, stroking Crookshank's fur as she read the assigned text. "Severus was right," she murmured to her cat as she turned the page of her Defense book. "There is nothing in this textbook that I do not know." Sighing, she set the book down and picked up the list of questions she was supposed to be answering. "'Please list the wand woods that are most likely to be abnormally affected by nonverbal spellcasting and explain what those effects are in detail.' Honestly, it's like he didn't even look at his predecessors' lesson plans."

Skimming the other questions, she found one near the bottom that held promise. "Oh, this one is on various shielding spells. I actually think the defense book Severus bought me has a more detailed break-down of them all." Looking down at the cat half in her lap, however, she sighed. "I take it you won't let me up to get it."

Crookshanks lifted his head and blinked sleepily at her in answer before shifting further onto her thigh. Snorting, she pulled out her wand. "Lucky for you, I'm a witch." Waving it in the general direction of the staircase, she cast, "Accio Defensive Strategies Guide!"

Almost immediately after she cast the spell, her head was jerked forward as something solid collided with the back of it. It dazed her, and she found herself scrambling to catch her book as it flew through the doorway. Crookshanks, in all the excitement, dug his claws in her leg as he launched off of her, and as she hissed and grabbed her thigh, she saw what had sent him sailing- and what had assaulted her moments before.

In one hand she held her copy of Defensive Strategies, the spine worn from use but overall in excellent condition. Her other hand lifted a second copy, one well worn with age but obviously cared for. She held them both before her, comparing the two as her mind whirled.

Setting down her copy, she flipped open the cover of the other. Just as she had predicted, The name S. Snape was written on the inside cover. "Severus didn't tell me he had his own copy," she mumbled as she started flipping through the pages. Much like the Arithmancy book he had loaned her ages ago, this book's margins were filled with his spiky scrawl. Notes, additional thoughts, addendums... She settled down further into the cushions and started to read.

Not five minutes later, Hermione was startled from her reading by a knock on the front door. She was on her feet in an instant, clutching the book to her chest as she started to wonder if the wards had failed, if someone broke through them, if-

She could hear Severus exiting his lab, the gentle tingle of bottles mixing with his soft footsteps, when she remembered; it was Wednesday. Hagrid was due for a visit.

Severus walked past the doorway, a sizeable crate in his arms, when he looked into the living room and saw her standing nearby. "Stay there," he ordered, setting the crate down and pulling out his wand. She nodded, lingering where she was, silent as he assured himself that their visitor was who it was supposed to be.

He stepped back into view a moment later, pocketing his wand and nodding to her in assurance. She stepped forward as he picked up the crate, and her movement seemed to catch his attention.

He glanced up at her and froze, crate in hand, as he stared wide-eyed at her chest- and the book she had clutched to it. His eyes hardened as he flicked them back to hers, and when she halted her steps in the heat of his stare he scowled and turned from her abruptly. She rushed to the doorway, and watched from the threshold as he threw the front door open.

Ignoring Hagrid's greeting, he shoved the crate in the half-giant's hands and said, "Thank you, Hagrid," before slamming the door in his face.

"What did you do that for?" she cried, hurrying over to the door.

Before she reached it, he grabbed her arm and tore the book from her hands. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Her brow raised as she took in his glowering countenance. "What do you mean? It's a book."

"It's my book. One I did not give you permission to read!"

"I don't understand." She looked back at the front door, but could see from the window that Hagrid had already walked out of the protection of the fidelius. And I was looking forward to seeing him, too. Pushing her disappointment down, she turned back to Severus and crossed her arms. "We have the same book. What difference does it make?"

"What diff-" Severus' glower deepened. "The difference is that this is mine!"

"Yes, I'm aware that that is yours," she snapped, moving into the living room once more. Reaching over the back of the couch, she grabbed her copy, brandishing it at him. "And this one is mine. They're the same book!"

He stormed after her into the living room. "I had asked you not to touch my things without my express permission. I have given you a number of books in good faith that you would abide by my simple request." Slamming the book on the desk, he gestured to the fireplace, to the room beyond. "I have let you into my lab and I've allowed you to brew under my name, but this-" Jabbing the book with his index finger he shouted, "This shows me I was foolish to do so!"

In the second of silence that followed, Hermione somehow managed to find her bearings. She felt as if he were pulling the rug from under her. He was angry with her- truly, terribly angry- and she couldn't for the life of her understand the intensity of his reaction. "You're right," she started, "I did read your book when I promised I wouldn't. But I honestly didn't think-"

"No, you didn't think," he growled, turning towards the door. "I've come to expect more of you, but once again I'm painted a bloody fool!"

"Now hang on a minute!" Stepping forward, she grabbed his upper arm before he could storm out on her. He spun around and jerked back at her touch, but she didn't give him a chance to yell at her again. "Listen to me before you run out of here! Yes, I read your book, and I apologize for that. I didn't even know you had a copy until I summoned mine and yours hit me in the back of the head. I should have asked before reading it, I just got caught up in the excitement when I saw all your notes-"

"Did it ever occur to you that some of those notes are private?" He loomed over her as he sneered, "Or does the fact that it's in a book make it excusable to pry?"

"Will you stop shouting at me and hear what I'm saying?! I'm trying to apologize, you berk!"

"I don't need your apology." His eyes glinting, he glared at her just as hard as she did him. "I need you to respect my wishes! Out of all the privacy I've given up for you, I cannot imagine this is asking too much!"

Hermione shook her head, stepping away from him. "Don't bring that up like this is something I wanted to happen! It isn't like I planned to be kicked out of Hogwarts and relegated to a safe house- you could have said no to me being here at any time!"

He scoffed. "You think I had the option to say no to you?"

"YES!" Turning back to glare at him, she threw her arms out, gesturing to the house. "You were under no obligation to take me in; I told you I would go somewhere else if you wanted me to! If me being here is that much of a strain on you, tell me now and I'll pack up and go! You don't even need to contact McGonagall, I'll just walk out the front door and catch back up with Hagrid- at least he would be happy to have my company!"

He turned from her then, grimacing at the floor and pinching his nose in frustration. Taking a breath, she crossed her arms and frowned at his back.

"I swear to you I had no intention of disrespecting you, but if you would just listen-"

He spun around abruptly, cutting her off. "What could you possibly say to make this all right? You deliberately went back on the only thing I have asked of you- to leave my stuff alone!"

"Can you at least tell me why this is such a big deal that I read your copy of the book instead of mine?" She threw her hands out at her sides. "Or are you just going to keep screaming at me without letting me apologize?"

"I don't owe you an explanation!" he snarled. "I don't owe you anything! I have given so much, to demand more of me now-"

"Stop shoving that in my face!" she shouted. "Stop reminding me about how much I'm taking from you by being here- you don't think I know that I'm a burden?! You're the one that told me I should feel like I was at home, not me!"

Pushing back his shoulders he snapped, "Maybe it's time that you respect that this is my house, Hermione, and that you are a guest while you are here!"

Her outrage fizzled at his declaration, and she took a step back. "And here I thought I was your friend, not some overstaying house guest."

"Then maybe it's better I don't have friends," he sneered, "if even my friends can't offer me an ounce of privacy!"

The room was suddenly far too small. In the silence that followed, Hermione lifted her chin. "You are cruel, Severus. I'm sorry I ever bothered."

Stepping forward, she forcibly shoved past him and ran up to her rooms. Lamenting the lack of a door for the first time in her stay, she whipped out her wand and conjured one, slamming it in place at the top of the stairs. She backed away from it slowly, her breaths heavy and her hands shaking; when her shoulders hit the wall she slid down it and waited for the tears that didn't come.

What had just happened?


It had been a long time since he had been this angry.

Terrified, also. There was a reason he hadn't sent that copy to her- a reason he bought one specifically for her! What had she seen in it? What would she have seen, if he had not caught her in time?

When a door slammed upstairs, he stormed back to his lab and slammed that door as well. Of all the things she could have done to overstep her boundaries, reading that book had to be the one she went for!

Leaning against the back of the door, he closed his eyes and tried to control the immense rage within him. He had spoken to her in anger, lashed out with his words, and while a small part of him regretted what he had said, the larger part of him was furious at her dismissiveness. The fact that she couldn't see what an enormous overstepping of boundaries this was made him seethe.

He never wanted her to read those books. He never wanted her to see the sort of person he had used to be, all those years ago. The person he still was, in part, deep down inside him. He had let his guard down with her, trusting that she would respect his wishes, and to see with his own eyes her failure to do so...

He slid to the floor, head in his hands. She had seen him for who he currently was, and accepted him readily. Would she still accept him if she saw who he had once been? She had this faint, vague idea of his former self, but what would happen when she saw proof of how cruel and terrible he used to be? How could she excuse his previous actions when she held the proof of his darkness in her hands?

He wiped a hand down his face and rested his head against the door. His rage was receding, but it was rapidly being replaced with a hurt he hadn't expected to feel- not when it came to her. He trusted her. He opened up to her. Opened his home to her. And this act of hers... it felt like a betrayal.

He looked around the lab, exhaling shakily. She was supposed to brew with him tomorrow. Would he be able to... No. No, he couldn't allow her in here again. It was a mistake to let her in here in the first place. Distance, that's what he needed. Distance from her, and their situation entirely. It's what he should have demanded from the get go, what he should have upheld the moment he started falling for her.

Grimacing, he slammed his head back into the door as he recalled the last time he had spoken in anger to a woman he supposedly loved. Then, as if that thought had petrified him, he froze entirely.

Love? Since when had he been using that word to describe... whatever this was? He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought. No, whatever it was, it couldn't be... it couldn't be love. A fascination, perhaps, or a fondness, but not...

With a growl, he shoved off the floor and moved to his discarded prep work. Picking up a mortar and pestle, he began to pulverize the beetle carapaces, fueling the act with his lingering anger. It didn't matter how he felt about her; the fact was that she had broken his trust, and glimpsed into a bit of his past that he had thoroughly wished he could wash away. It was the last thing he wanted her to be privy to, and as he thought of all the things she may have read, the carapaces turned to dust.


Before, when Severus had gone to the extreme to avoid her, Hermione had been gutted. She was weighed down with worry, wondering if his pull-back had anything to do with her, and what she could do to fix it. The stress of it all took her sleep from her, as well as her appetite. She couldn't focus on anything else but what had happened.

At the same time, Severus had been consumed by panic in the realization that his feelings for her may not be quite so one-sided. It wasn't until the morning that he realized what his actions had done to her, and guilt churned at his gut the rest of the day. It was a miracle he had been able to get any work done.

This time, their argument had caused quite a bit of dissension. Neither found themselves suffering a change of heart, Severus convinced that he had suffered a betrayal and Hermione aghast at his overreaction to the events at hand. Thus, neither felt particularly inclined to reach out to the other.

When it came time to prepare supper, Severus closed up his lab and made his way to the kitchen. Halfway through prepping, Hermione joined him, staunchly avoiding his eyes as she made her way to the pantry and helped herself to a packet of crisps and an apple.

"That's not a meal," he said disapprovingly to her back as she walked out the door.

"I wouldn't want to inconvenience you," she shot over her shoulder, retreating to her rooms. Severus tossed the knife onto the cutting board, lips pulled back in anger.

The next morning, she entered the empty kitchen and helped herself to a banana and a few slices of toast. She cleaned up after herself and braided her hair back, preparing to head into the lab. When she reached the door, however, it was only to find it locked.

Thinking that perhaps he had not left his rooms yet, she turned to his bedroom door when she heard the telltale thunk of a knife slicing ingredients. Spinning back around, she grasped the handle again and banged on the door. "I know you know I'm supposed to brew today!" she shouted through the wood. "Let me in!"

Her hand jerked back at the sudden appearance of a square of parchment that had appeared on the door at eye level. In his spiky scrawl, it simply read,

No.

"Damn it, Severus, this isn't fair!" She pounded on the door a few more times, shouting, "You're the one what wouldn't let me apologize! I'm supposed to be helping you, you bloody tosser!"

The note disappeared, only to come back a moment later.

I don't need you.
Now go away and stop trying to break my door down.

With one good kick at the door, Hermione pointed her wand at the parchment and set it aflame.

"This is a new low, even for you!" she shouted, before storming away.

She put extra effort into stomping up the steps as loudly as possible, knowing how much the noise would bother him. Pacing the length of the room, she ran her hands through her hair and bit back a scream. The nerve of him! He knew how much brewing meant to her, and he still used it as a tool to punish her! Well fine then, she fumed as she threw herself into her desk chair. If he doesn't want me around, he shouldn't have a problem with me visiting Harry. With that thought in mind, she pulled a bit of parchment towards her, accepting his invitation to Christmas after all. At this point, she would much rather face Ron and all of that awkwardness than stay here and deal with him.

When Severus finally left the lab well after sunset, he made a simplistic dinner for one and retired to the living room shortly after. He was seated on the couch with a tumbler of firewhisky before he noticed the stack of books left on his desk. Recognizing them as the ones he had lent Hermione, he rolled his eyes and walked over to the stack.

Resting on the top of the pile was a piece of parchment. Written in her neat hand was a note, and as he read it his eyes rolled once more.

I have no interest in prying into your private life, so take your stupid books back.

Tossing the note aside, he picked up the first few books and began to reshelve them.

Amongst the returned books was the arithmancy tome he had lent her months ago, as well as her copy of the Defensive Strategies Guide. Staring down at those two books, his fingers white on the spines, he felt his rage build once more. The nerve, the insolence of her returning what she knew was to be a gift! Well, if she did not want it, that was fine with him. He shoved the defense book into a desk drawer and slammed it shut.

The Arithmancy tome he shelved with the others, and- fueled by his wounded pride- he proceeded to ward his entire collection against prying hands. If she so much as grazed a spine, he would know.

They managed to avoid each other entirely the following day, and only came face to face when Hermione was leaving the kitchen the day after, at the same time he had exited the lab. They both came up short, caught by surprise, before swiftly glaring at the other. "Warding your books now?" she asked snottily. "What, do you think I'm really going to risk your wrath again?"

"The fact that you're aware of the wards tells me I was right to place them."

Scoffing, she began to climb the stairs. "I wasn't drooling over your precious secrets, so you can quit panicking. It doesn't take much magical talent to be able to feel the ridiculous amount of protections you put on them."

"Have you even bothered to eat lately," he called up to her, "or are you thriving on pure condescension?"

Storming halfway down the stairs, she grabbed the railing and leaned over it. "Why not?" she snarled. "You seem to thrive on it just fine!"

As she stomped back up the stairs and slammed the door she had yet to remove, he crossed to his room and slammed that door as well. He suddenly had no appetite.


When Minerva floo'd in the next morning, she was forced to seek them both out.

Entering the hallway with a frown, she approached Severus' bedroom and knocked briskly on the door. When it flew open and an angry Potions Master glowered down at her, she crossed her arms. "First you dismiss Hagrid without so much as a 'How do you do,' then you completely ignore me when I arrive. Isolation has made you far more unpleasant and I really can't say I care for it."

"Just drop the supplies off and get out of my hair," he grumbled, making to close the door. Her hand shot out, grabbing the edge of it and forcing it back open.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not your errand runner, I'm your connection to the outside world. Now get your scrawny back-end to the living room and at least act thankful."

"Unless there's news to report-"

"Severus Snape, I swear to Merlin I will transfigure everything you own until your house looks like an exact replica of Sybill's tower if you don't get your arse into that living room this instant!" To add weight to her threat, she brandished her wand and pointed it at his chest.

Snarling, Severus shoved past her and strode furiously down the hall. Satisfied, she closed his bedroom door for him and moved over to the stairs.

When she reached the top, she studied the door and the thick curtain that blocked the open wall for a moment before knocking on the door. "Hermione?"

When she couldn't make out the mumbled response, she knocked again. "Hermione, let me in, please."

Frowning at the long sigh on the other side of the door, she waited until she was permitted entrance before asking, "All right, what did he do?"

Hermione closed her door and returned to her bed, crossing her legs and hugging a pillow in her lap. "We fought. I don't want to talk about it."

"Tough." Claiming the desk chair, she crossed her arms. "I need to know if I'm turning his hair pink or if I'm transfiguring all of his clothes into items befitting Albus Dumbledore. I'd prefer to do the latter, but if you don't think he deserves it, I'll do my best to restrain myself."

When her threat only garnered a mild huff of air, Minerva stood and grabbed the girl's arm. "All right, up you get. I refuse to have come all this way just to be snubbed."

Leading a sullen Hermione back down the stairs, she entered the living room to find a scowling Severus standing near the fire, arms crossed. "I will not be bullied in my own home only to then be ignored!"

"Not so fun, is it?" Turning, she grabbed Hermione's forearm firmly but gently to prevent her attempt to leave. "Do not make me transfigure your wardrobe too, missy. Now, go sit down."

Disregarding the twin glares in her direction, she forced her onto the sofa and Severus into his chair before taking up his post before the fire. When Hermione scooted to the end farthest away from the Potions Master, her lips thinned. "Who wants to go first?"

When neither spoke up, she rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Hermione- take pity on me."

Crossing her arms, she glared at the floor when she said, "I summoned a book of mine and didn't know he had the same copy. When they both came to me, I started to read his. Apparently that was an act of betrayal that doomed our friendship."

"That is not-"

"Oh, Severus, are you ready to speak to me now?" Minerva gave him a condescending stare. "Too bad- it isn't your turn! Now shut up and let Hermione have her say."

Sitting straighter, he retorted, "I am not one of your students in need of reprimanding!"

"Then act like it!" Turning back to Hermione, she waved a hand her way. "Please, continue."

The girl shrugged. "That's about the gist of it, Professor. He made it very clear to me that because I broke his trust, he doesn't deem me as a friend any longer."

"This is ridiculous," he muttered, crossing his arms and sinking into his chair like a petulant child.

She looked down at him, eyebrow raised. "Fine, Severus, then tell me your side of things." When he didn't say anything, she threw her arms up in the air. "Was reading your book that big of a betrayal that you had to revoke any decency from your relationship with her?"

"I had requested one thing from her when she moved in- all I wanted was for her to ask before touching my things!"

"I didn't touch your book on purpose!" She put her hand on the back of her head, adding, "It damn well flew into me, didn't it?"

He leaned forward in his chair, meeting her anger face to face. "And I suppose it flew open for you, too? I suppose it forced you to read the words I specifically asked you not to?"

"I already apologized for that! You refuse to listen to me!"

"Because apologies don't undo actions-"

"For crying out loud, Severus," Minerva snapped, "do you hear yourself?! Need I remind you of all the times you expected someone to accept your apology as if it magically erased the hurt behind it! I happen to remember you skulking around Gryffindor Tower quite frequently as a student, doing just that!"

Eyes bulging, Severus threw himself out of the chair, but Minerva dismissed his threatening pose. "Don't loom over me like that- you couldn't intimidate me if you tried. Sit down and think about it for two seconds, and maybe you'll be motivated to pull your head out your arse. Now." Turning back towards Hermione in a pointed dismissal of Severus, she asked, "I take it you regret reading from a book you didn't have permission to read from?"

"Yes," she answered with surety. "I still don't know why me reading his copy of a book that I also own is a huge betrayal, but I do regret it, and I swear it wasn't my intention to upset him."

"And you have no plans on breaking that rule in the future?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what the bloody hell is the big deal?!" she exclaimed, turning back towards Severus, who had surprisingly sat back down in his seat when she told him to. "And why did you revoke your friendship from her over it? It sounds to me like it was an innocent mistake!"

Elbows on his knees, he ducked his head down and scratched at his scalp. "I didn't revoke anything," he grumbled.

"Then why-"

"All I said," he interrupted, picking his head up to glare at Minerva, "was that if my friends are going to go behind my back and disregard my personal boundaries, then I might as well not have them!"

"Because that isn't saying essentially the same thing," muttered Hermione, and Minerva raised her eyes to the ceiling in a silent prayer for patience.

"All right, enough! Both of you, be quiet and listen to me." Staring each of them down to ensure they did as such, she pointed an angry finger at Severus. "You- this is exactly what I was afraid of when I confronted you before she moved in. You can't control your anger and you make it everyone else's problem! She's a human being, Severus; let her make a mistake from time to time! She meant no disrespect, and she's trying to apologize to you. She didn't mean to upset you, for pity's sake- how you could think that is beyond me!"

"And you!" Turning to Hermione, she softened her expression but not her voice. "I have never known you to sulk like this! I daresay you've had worse fights with Potter and Weasley than whatever this spat is! I've always thought you a mature young woman- don't you go disappointing me now!"

Crossing her arms, she stared down at the two of them. "I will not be around to referee each petty squabble you two get into, so you need to start figuring these things out for yourself! Now, can I trust that you'll act like grown adults or am I going to have to permanently separate the two of you?"

Hermione looked sheepishly at Severus out of the corner of her eye, and when he noticed he let out a deep sigh. Running his hand through his hair, he begrudgingly answered, "You don't need to leave unless you wish to. I'm not going to kick you out."

"Would you rather I leave, though?" Looking uncertainly down at the floor, she said, "I don't want to be here if you don't want me here. Harry gave me an open invitation to stay with him, and I'm sure he'd be happy to..."

Severus leaned back heavily in his chair, then glanced at Minerva. "Might we have a moment?"

"Oh, now you have no need of me," she muttered, grabbing the discarded bags of groceries and making her way to the kitchen. "Never mind I had to pull you out by your ears to get you to this point."


Severus watched the witch as she exited the room, and cast a silencing spell in her wake. Leaning forward once more, he returned his elbows to his knees and clasped his hands together. When Hermione met his stare, he took a deep breath. "I would not rather you leave, Hermione, nor would I hold you back if you wanted to go. But I need to be assured that my boundaries will not be breached."

"I've tried to tell you a hundred times- I have no intention of overstepping your boundaries!" She scooted to the side of the couch closest to him, and he straightened a bit at her nearness. "I didn't even intend to overstep in the first place. I am sorry I did so, and I swear to you I will be more conscious of it moving forward. But please, can you just explain to me why you reacted the way you did?" Rubbing her forehead, she admitted, "I still don't fully understand why you had to say the things you said, or why you would refuse to hear me out. You haven't been like that with me since we became friends, and it... well, to be frank, it hurt."

Sighing, Severus closed his eyes and hung his head. The same guilt that had slowly started to gnaw on him immediately after the fight was now taking sizeable chunks out of his gut. This was exactly why he needed to distance himself from her; this was exactly why they would never work as anything more than what they were now. He was cruel, as she said, and he only hurt those he cared about.

When he looked at her again, he decided the best course of action was to be honest with her. "Hermione, how many people do you think know about my father?" When she just shook her head, he answered, "Only you."

Her eyes widened, eyebrows shooting up as she straightened, but before she could respond he continued. "I revealed something deeply personal to you because I trusted you more than anyone else. I wanted you to know more about me, to see a glimmer of who I really am." Sitting back, he rubbed his eyes. "But there are things I do not wish anyone to know, including you. Things I would keep track of, study further, before I put them into practice. And while I did not keep a diary like some pretentious dark wizard... I would often write in my books."

"Severus, I-"

He waved her words away. "I did not ask you to keep away from my books because I didn't trust you, Hermione. I asked you to keep away from them because they're dangerous. Did it never cross your mind that I bought you your own copy of that book because I didn't want you to see what I had written inside mine?" Her mute stare was answer enough. "That is why I reacted the way I did. That is why I spoke in anger. I had no way of knowing how much you had seen, and I was panicked- terrified, even. But beyond that, I..." He shrugged, shaking his head. "I admit I saw it as a betrayal. I had opened up to you, told you something I hadn't told anyone, and then I find you there, holding the book I never wanted you to see."

In the moments that followed, Hermione took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Scooting to the edge of the cushion, she leaned forward and met his eyes. "Do you believe me when I say I had no intention of hurting you? That it hadn't occurred to me that this would have come even remotely close to a betrayal?" He slowly nodded, and her shoulders dropped in relief. "Then can we move past this? If you would allow me to, I'd very much like to apologize for breaking your trust, and I'd very much like to earn it back."

Resting his head against the back of his chair, he closed his eyes. "I know you did not mean to. I apologize for not giving you a chance to explain."

"I understand why you didn't." Surprised, he opened his eyes and saw her staring at the carpet again, rubbing her neck. "I can't say I'd react much better under the circumstances." Looking up, she saw him watching her and gave him a nervous half smile. "So... truce?"

Snorting inelegantly, he nodded. Waving his wand, he cancelled the silencing charm and called out to Minerva. "What news of the outside world have you brought us?"

"Oh, that's it then?" she called from the kitchen. "No explanation? No Follow-up? No 'Thank you, Minerva, for setting us right?' I'm not sure I even want to tell you about the outside world now, if I'm being honest. I'm afraid I'm feeling rather used."

Sharing an amused look with Hermione as she stifled a laugh, he rose from his seat and offered her a hand up. "Calm yourself, woman," he called to the kitchen as they approached. "We're coming."


A/N: This chapter didn't move the plot along at all, but it was immensely fun to write. I hope you still enjoyed it, and weren't too worried! I know what I'm doing... most of the time.