Chapter 17. Somnum
His first class had gone rather smoothly, given his general lack of sleep the night before. The second-years were testy but it didn't bother him as much as it usually did as he powered through his lesson on Petrificus Totalus. The little dunderheads in the making were quick to test out their newly acquired knowledge on their friends and he ensured they had a safe space to practice. While it was not the most appropriate method of teaching, Severus simply didn't have the patience to find another professor to help him demonstrate it in a short duel in front of the class.
During his time for supervision, he had written a letter for Hermione, determined to see her before he fully began to manipulate her. He would tell her the truth before it got too far, even though he hadn't quite decided how much of the truth she would find out that evening. Knowing she would be on her way to Arithmancy, he decided he would intercept her and hopefully hand it off to her subtly.
He watched her from the end of the hall, as she stormed forward without regard for what was in front of her. While it pained him to see her obviously distraught, it would be the perfect opportunity to pass her the letter. Allowing her to run into him at full force, he took her confusion as the opportunity to slip the parchment into her notebook, that she so intently gripped to her chest. While her eyes were focused on his, he made the transaction, before moving past her and returning to his office.
When it was finally time for lunch, he opted to take it in his office, hoping for some peace and quiet before he would have to survey the arrangement between Hermione and Draco. Sitting at his desk, he lazily ran his finger over his goblet, staring off into the distance while he attempted to muster the desire to eat. It never came. What did, however, was a searing pain from his forearm. "What now?" He grumbled, standing up and clutching his arm as he walked over to the floo. Before stepping into the fireplace, he summoned his death eater robes, putting them on and stating his destination.
Upon arriving in the Malfoy mansion, he looked around and saw only Narcissa sitting by the fireplace. Her face was bent with worry and she stood, gliding over to meet him. "I will be taking you to him, they are on- on a sort of excursion for the time being," she explained. Severus nodded, taking her arm and apparating into an expansive field. Shortly after landing, Cissy disapparated and left Severus to walk over to the circle of death eaters.
An unusual guest, he noted, was hovering beside Voldemort as the dark wizard cackled happily. A dementor? Severus questioned as he took his place in the circle. What on earth would compel a dementor to attend the meeting? In the middle before him, lay a floating witch who was bruised and bleeding slightly from a few places. Severus willed himself to keep a straight face as he made eye contact with Voldemort through his death eater mask.
"Severus, my loyal servant, my spy, I am so glad you could join us during school hours," the Dark Lord hissed gleefully from his spot across from the professor. Severus nodded, bowing before his master then straightening his posture and noting the lack of followers who were present. Work hours, he supposed, keeping his Occlumency shields in place. "Our guest, today, is Clarissa Copper, a filthy, poor, worthless mudblood I found lurking about my estate." The witch's name sounded awfully familiar to the younger wizard, attempting to remember where he had heard it.
"She's going to be kissed!" Bellatrix interjected with a giggle. Severus bit his tongue as he watched the Dark Lord's pet hiss with joy, her wand poised to cast the killing curse at the word of her master.
"Patience, my pet," the Dark Lord retorted, making the Lestrange witch frown at the prospect of waiting. Kissed by the dementor? Severus hypothesized, seeing the creature so close to a crowd without it attacking was something the potion's master had not yet experienced, and the looming depression was growing stronger the more he existed near it. He kept his face impassive as he stared down at the paralyzed muggleborn, his Occlumency shields in place. Clarissa Copper… What she a student? I remember a male Copper... B... Benjamin? Yes, Ben Copper. She must be Ben Copper's wife. That little Gryffindor snit from years prior, the connection clicked in the wizard's mind as he watched her. She was fragile, no more than 25 years old, with wiry blond hair, dull blue eyes, and dirt dusted all over her.
Voldemort stepped forward, spinning the girl slowly as if she were a roast, and bringing her higher for everyone to see. At that moment, all Severus could picture was Hermione suffering the same fate. That, if the plan didn't go as Dumbledore and the Dark Lord wished, she would be the next muggleborn witch to be played with for sport. His heart broke at the thought, coming to terms with a renewed sense of determination for the mission. Draco will court Hermione. I will tell her tonight, and that will be the end of it.
-x-
The kiss went about as horribly as he'd heard they were to experience. Watching someone's soul being sucked from their corpse as they lay powerless to fight back was gut-wrenching and had he not been highly skilled in Occlumency, he would have certainly revisited a previous meal. Bellatrix took her sweet time murdering the muggleborn after the kiss was concluded and the dementor returned to its post. Reporting this particular loss to Dumbledore was going to be an exhausting one, given the dementors had obviously chosen a side in this war that would not ultimately benefit the Order. He wondered how the breed had been swayed, how they could be possibly rendered bias given they were supposedly impartial by nature.
The questions berated him as he apparated back to the front estate of Hogwarts, powering through the gates and up to his office. He was late for his sixth-year class, and it suddenly frustrated him how Dumbledore was the only one granted with the ability to apparate within the wards of the school.
Reaching the door to his classroom, he stormed in, a hush falling in his stead as he glided past them. "Can anyone tell me which spell can fend off a dementor?" He barked as he reached the front of the class before he turned to face his students. There was a silence that met his query which he had expected since he thought it unlikely any of them were prepared for the topic. As he surveyed the houses, he saw Hermione's hand raise from the corner of his vision. In an attempt to avoid favouritism, he waited a while before finally addressing the brilliant witch. "Miss Granger?"
"Expecto Patronum, the Patronus charm," she responded. The answer was less filled out than she normally would offer, but he wasn't surprised given the whispers that followed. He held back a curse that was forming in his throat and simply sneered at the crowd before responding.
"That is correct Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor, and 50 points from Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw." He knew the punishment would be met with questions, and frankly, he knew he was being rather harsh on students who were simply gossiping but it was too late to take it back now.
A black-haired Ravenclaw who was seated one section over from Hermione raised her hand in protest. "50 points between us or each?" Fair question, he reasoned, glancing briefly at the brunette who remained uncharacteristically quiet.
"That depends on your answer to the next question," he retorted, striding to the opposite of the room as he debated the challenge he intended on posing. "Tell me, Miss Pendragon, what is it that powers the Patronus charm?" While he hadn't intended on asking a trick question, it was evident he had when the witch answered.
"A wand, of course." The girl was all too proud of her answer as she snickered in pride, her friend meeting her response with a shake of her head. It was nearly humorous to watch the Ravenclaw's face drop in embarrassment, her cheeks turning a shade of pink he hadn't seen in a while.
"While indeed one needs a wand to conjure the charm, the Patronus charm is powered by the happiest of memories of the individual casting it." He strode back and forth at the front of the class, eager to get on with the lesson so he could finally eat something. His appetite had actively returned. "Without that, the charm is ineffective." His gaze travelled back to Hermione, and she watched as she tucked her hair behind her ear and chew her lip. Quickly, he removed his stare from the brunette and focused once more on the Ravenclaw to answer her original question, "25 points from each house, be grateful I gave you a partial benefit, Miss Pendragon. Gossip is a waste of breath, I will not have it in my classroom," he sneered, before returning to his pace.
No one spoke, watching him with a mixture of fear and disdain as they held onto their quills and waited for further instruction. The emotions he instilled in them gave him a boost of pride, knowing he could still command respect. With no questions to answer, Severus felt safe to continue with his lecture.
"Now, I want you to pair off and practice casting the charm. You need to be able to summon your happiest memories in even the darkest of situations, so I will pair you off with someone from another House," he continued, followed by a list of students from opposing houses. He ensured that Hermione was scattered among the rest of the students, knowing exactly who she would be paired up with. "Hermione Granger, with..." He paused for a moment, hoping to make it seem as though he had to find her a suitable partner when the decision had already been made for him before the class had even come to fruition. "Draco Malfoy."
The whispers returned, which he half expected, as Hermione moved to join the Malfoy near the back of the class. When all the students had been paired off, he vanished the seating, creating an open space for them to spread out and begin practising the charms.
As they progressed, Severus found it hard not to keep his focus on Hermione. Her smile when she twirled, her otter following her and dancing around playfully. He felt his entire form relax as he watched her happiness and felt a renewed sense of pride in her exceptional performance. Draco moved to try again, this time resulting in a cat prancing around him. He paused his stroll around the students, to focus on the display. A cat? He questioned. Draco Malfoy's Patronus is a sodding cat? Severus would have found the choice hilarious, had he not remembered the pet Hermione chose as her familiar.
Jealous seeped into his happiness as he watched her laugh at the display as much as he had wanted to, stumbling back at the feline's display of protectiveness. Severus strode over to them, desperate to interrupt their flirtation session, even though it was exactly what the Dark Lord and the Headmaster wanted. On closer inspection, he noticed the specific shading and colouring of the Patronus, leading him to determine the exact breed of feline. "A tortoiseshell cat, I wouldn't wonder, Malfoy." Hermione spun to face him, but he kept stern and continued his explanation. "Chatty, strong-willed, and hot-tempered. Fiercely loyal and one of the prettiest breeds in the feline family. Yes, I daresay there isn't a better match in the world of Patronuses than that for you." He felt as though he were complimenting the blond, even though his tone was laced with sarcasm.
He turned to walk away, convincing himself that he had sufficiently reminded the girl of his presence and their connection and began critiquing the other students blundering through their charms.
-x-
Sitting at his desk, he sighed deeply. He was exhausted, truly, and he had yet to hear from Dumbledore but he was expecting the old fool to arrive any minute. Severus had summoned his lunch in the break between teaching Hermione's class and his next seventh-year class, which made him late to that lecture as well. While he wasn't hungry, the muggleborn's death weighed on him heavily, making it impossible for him to focus on any light topics. When he wasn't thinking about Hermione falling in love with his godson, he was picturing her in place of Clarissa Copper, being murdered by the Dark Lord. It was truly energy-sucking and he felt as though he may collapse at any moment.
His floo awakened, the sound of the Headmaster's jolly tone rousing the younger wizard from his haze and making him stand to greet the old man. "Severus, I noticed you left the wards today, how is Tom doing?" the Headmaster strolled into Snape's office, his crimson-red robes were a stark contrast to the gloomy lighting of the room. He noted how at ease the Headmaster looked, which bothered the stressed-beyond-all-reasonable-limits Potion's master, making him clench his teeth to avoid sharing his sour mood. The older wizard's apparent relaxed demeanour only added to the unease Severus was experiencing, but he pushed through it, readying himself to retell the earlier events.
"He killed a muggleborn this afternoon, in broad daylight," Severus stated, watching Albus' expression fall as he took the seat opposite him. The glimmer in his eye was fading as he was likely being taken over by the curse, but he still focused on Severus through the tops of his half-moon spectacles. "He used a dementor, first, to suck out the woman's soul, then Bellatrix played with her until she murdered her," he recounted, sitting back in his desk chair.
"And who was it, Severus?" Albus questioned. The younger wizard took a moment to pause, replaying the scene in his mind as the Headmaster employed Legilimens. "Clarissa Copper. She was a Hufflepuff for the year she attended, though never took any of your courses. She was far too frightened of you, which is why, I suppose, she gravitated towards Benjamin," Dumbledore lamented. "They were quite the cowardly pair."
"I only knew Mister Copper, though, I imagine he would be rather distraught presently," Severus sympathized, remembering how it felt to know Lily was in mortal danger and he was the one to cause it. While simply being muggleborn was no one's fault, Severus imagined that the boy who was afraid of everything would likely blame himself for the tragedy, given his experience in his fourth year.
"I will send a letter offering my condolences, once this is public knowledge of course," the older wizard pledged. "Tom would figure out he has a mole in his ranks if I were to be too hasty in my reaching out." Quiet hung between them, something Severus didn't mind as he continued reviewing the murder of the witch. "The dementor's taking sides with Voldemort, now that is something I did not expect. Was there just the one, Severus?"
"That I saw, only one, Headmaster," Severus seethed, looking for something to occupy his hands. He attempted to think back to his surroundings, see if there had been any more of the looming creatures, but he noted his memories were mostly fixed on the tortured witch. The thought of Hermione flashed briefly to the forefront of his mind, but he brushed it away. Unfortunately, he obviously did not do so fast enough to escape Dumbledore's notice.
"How is Miss Granger?" The question brought Severus quickly back to attention. With a short inhale, he eyed the older wizard, attempting to decern whether or not he had been in his mind when the image of the student had passed through. Given it was a rather innocent memory, just her from the class that day, just before he paired her off with Draco. However, he did not want to appear to be deceiving the old man, in hopes that he would continue to remain safe under his care and employment.
"I paired her off with Mister Malfoy in class this afternoon and I believe they were getting on just brilliantly. The boy produced a Patronus in the class while practising with Miss Granger," the professor noted, attempting to steer the focus away from the brunette. "I didn't think it was possible since the boy's mind is overwhelmed with darkness currently, but somehow he did it." Albus acknowledged his statement with a nod before standing up and turning as if to leave.
"I hope, Severus, that you will not interrupt the connection the two are developing. It is vital that Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy find comfort in one another during these dark times. The good in his heart must stay there, and I believe she is the root of it." While his words seemed wise, Severus knew that Albus was only grasping at the younger professor's heartstrings in the hope of something would guilt him into continuing the mission. "I'd be interested to know what his happy memory was. What was his Patronus, if you don't mind telling me?"
"Indeed. A cat, sir. A tortoiseshell cat." Severus answered, never looking up to meet the Headmaster's gaze. He thought, for a moment, about what could possibly have fueled the boy's Patronus, given his childhood and current circumstances. He considered that Hermione had been the one to show off before, and the only expression that Draco held was a smile as he looked fondly at the girl. Perhaps she was a part of his happiness, Severus mused, returning his focus to his guest.
"Ah," Albus replied. It seemed their conversation had ended and the older wizard offered a short nod prior to disappearing from Snape's office. The professor, once again left in his own company, checked the time and calculated he could fit in a nap before dinner and before his meeting with Hermione. As he had expected, the interaction with the Headmaster had easily taken any energy he had left, and he stood to find a more comfortable sleeping arrangement.
-x-
He woke up in a haze, the dimly lit room blurry before his eyes, as he attempted to sit up. The grogginess sat on his shoulders as he flung his feet off the bed and stood up, stumbling slightly as he made his way to the loo. The wall crept up on him, and he bumped into it, slamming his foot against the wood framing, and yelping in response. With a groan, he felt for his wand, casting Lumos and sending the ball of light into the air above him as he placed himself in front of the mirror, his eyes still mostly shut as they adjusted to the light change. He splashed his face with water, allowing himself to open his eyes. A grumble in his stomach reminded the professor that he hadn't gone to dinner, so he cast a tempus charm in the hopes that they would not have completely cleared away the buffet. When he finally registered the time he was presented with, the grumbling in his gut stopped. It was nearly two in the morning and his heart sunk as the numbers faded away.
I missed her. I left her alone. I never got to her. I bloody stood her up, he spiralled as he thought of Hermione sitting and waiting for him for hours in the Room of Requirement. How could I have possibly allowed myself to sleep through this? He slammed his fist against the sink and groaned loudly, which built to a yell as he spun around in anger. The woman he had spent the day lamenting over, worrying for, was left alone waiting for him to show up and I bloody well slept through it, he cursed internally, storming from the bathroom.
"You fucking bastard!" He accused, screaming at no one as he returned to his chambers. Pushing his hair back in frustration, he reminded himself he was fully clothed and decided he could at least check to see if she was still there. He scrambled to get out of his rooms in the dark and out into the dimly lit hallway. He was certain there would be no one up and about at this hour, so he took no care in hiding himself as he rushed up to the seventh floor. Impatiently, the wizard paced in front of the wall, waiting for the door to form. Once it did, Severus pushed through it to find an extremely empty room. It was smaller, the walls and floor bare of any hint that she had been there.
He had hoped, somewhere deep in his soul, that she had stayed. That she had waited for him and would be there on the other side of the door. He knew, as well, that she was not that desperate, that she would have returned to her dormitories long before he woke up. Severus suspected, that had he managed to find her waiting for him, she would be right pissed off at him, and he deserved it.
A/N I know at least some of you are back in school, so I applaud you for pursuing an education! I hope this story continues to provide a sometimes needed distraction.