A/N – So my darling other half and I just moved into a new apartment. Then we both lost our jobs and had to make the long trek from Oklahoma to California. *cries*. Sorry about the delay, but I am in the process of joining the army and any updates will be sporadic at best now. But enough about that, here goes nothing!
Disclaimer – Still don't own
Hermione stormed into Professor Snape's classroom and through to his office. Slamming the door behind her she threw her bag on the couch and swept over to the fire. Here, she faced the flames and tried to warm her shaking, cold body.
"It seems you have been spending too much time in my presence, if your entrance is any to go by."
Hermione jumped when Severus's voice spoke from the desk. She hadn't even noticed him sitting there when she had come in. though she hadn't noticed much of anything in her flight from the head mistress's office down here.
"Should I ask or would you like to explain without prompting?" the potions master leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers over his chest.
"Bloody McGonagall, she keeps insisting that I talk about what happened, that I need to vent about it. I don't want to talk. She gave me these detentions to try and get me to open up, and no matter how many times I tell her, she keeps pushing. Today she suggested that I talk to Potter and Weasley. I told her it was pointless for her to keep asking and to stop. That's when she says that I have it easy in her detention sessions, just talking and drinking tea, and if I didn't give in she was going to have me writing lines."
"You already know where I stand on you talk about what happened. I agree with her, but I don't agree with her pushing you like this. It won't help anything if she forces you to talk. You will only grow to resent her and it will only irritate the problem more." Snape said.
"I don't want to go back to the common room. Can I stay down here?" Hermione requested quietly.
"You know where the spare room is." He said as he turned back to his grading. "If you need anything, get it yourself."
Hermione grabbed her bag and began to make her way through to her favorite professor's living quarters. The door on the left as she walked in opened. The brunette froze as Ginny Weasley walked out of Snape's library. They stared at each other for a moment before Ginny said, with a small smile, "Hiya Hermione."
Slinging her bag over her shoulder, the bushy haired witch turned and walked into the spare room. Tossing her bag on the bed she walked back out of the room. Entering the office she saw Ginny and Severus deep in discussion over a book, leaning a little too close together to be quite appropriate. The book that they were looking at was one that Hermione didn't recognize. The conversation seemed far too intimate for her to interrupt so the brunette walked back towards the fire and gazed into the flames, letting them take her away from the place where everyone seemed determined to make her relive an event that she only wished to forget.
She didn't know how long went by when she heard the door to Snape's office slam open. Draco Malfoy stormed through the office looking like a cloud of death was hanging over his head. Ginny instantly froze and straightened. Her eyes resembled a thunder cloud and she was immediately on the defensive. Hermione for her part was curious as to why Draco Malfoy, Severus's godson, would be so angry at him.
"You turned down my application!" Malfoy shouted. "Why?"
"Because Miss Weasley is a more qualified candidate than you are. Therefore it was a rather simple decision."
"I'm your godson and you picked her over me? You are sleeping with her aren't you? Does the Mudblood over there join you at night?" he sneered.
"Mudblood I may be, at least I'm not a Death Eater wanna be." Hermione hissed.
"How dare you, you filthy…" he never finished the statement as both he and Hermione felt a stinging slap connect with their cheeks. When the two had moved to be so close to each other neither knew. Nor did they know when Ginny had moved to stand before them rubbing her hands, the palms of which were a harsh red.
"Enough," the red head hissed. "Draco the war is over. Enough of your pure-blood activist bull that all of us down here know you don't mean." When Hermione looked smug Ginny rounded on her. "And you. What the hell Hermione? After the war you became a recluse and pushed everyone away. You became something you're not, so where do you get off calling him names? As for your comment about the professor and me sleeping together, no, we are not. So back off and cut the crap. I have better marks than you Draco. Grow up. You two are more alike than you even know. You are both determined and both startlingly intelligent. Why don't you try being friends for once since neither of you has anyone else. "
Hermione and Draco both stood in a daze as they watched Ginny stalk back into the hallway and turn into the library, astonishingly followed by professor Snape. They glanced at each other and shrugged. Draco waved in the direction of the sitting room and Hermione walked towards the couch. Neither spoke until they sat down.
"Look, Hermione, Ginny isn't so wrong. Most of the things I say are an act. I am so used to being the slimy git, and I freely admit that I am one, that I don't know how to act around other people. I guess I'm afraid. I mean look at how I treated your crowd before. They wouldn't take too kindly to me suddenly trying to be nice to them, and if I tried my crowd would have my head." He looked down at his hands.
"I don't have a 'crowd' anymore Draco. Being alone isn't fun so I understand, but if you want a friend, sort of, I don't trust easily and it will take a while before we can become true friends, you are more than welcome to hang out with me. I won't judge you, like Ginny said, I really have no room to talk."
"Thanks. I appreciate it. So, like you heard, I am rather proficient at potions, but my charms and transfiguration marks are down the drain. I was wondering, could you help me with it?" He looked rather sheepish as he made his request.
"Sure, I can tutor you." Hermione didn't even hesitate. Something else to keep her busy and keep her mind off her own life. Conversation from there flowed easily between the two and before either of them knew it Snape was sitting at his desk grading essays and Ginny was lying on a couch across from them reading. Hermione had, at some point flipped upside down and her feet hung off the back rest of the couch. She and Draco were discussing a book they had read when they heard a strange noise from the direction of Snape's desk. Reaching down and placing both hands on the floor, Hermione flipped her legs over and stood on her hands for only a moment before letting her legs fall and allowing her momentum to carry her torso up into a standing position.
Ginny and Draco for their parts were doing their best impressions of guppies while Hermione made her way over to Severus's desk. He was doing his best to hold in his laughter at something that a student had written. Hermione snatched the paper from his hand and began to read while the black haired man clutched at his sides. Instantly she recognized Ronald's sloppy scrawl. As she read it she began to realize what had the potions master in such a state of mirth.
…The Amorentia potion is simple to make. Add powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood…
Hermione couldn't remain standing any longer. It was such a simple mistake that a first year would have caught it. She collapsed with tears streaming down her face, holding onto her sides and leaning against Severus's desk to support herself as she laughed hysterically. This caught Ginny and Draco's attention. Hermione never laughed anymore so it had to be something really stupid, and soon they had joined the other two in gasping breaths.
"His stupidity is astounding." Hermione commented as they settled down. Ginny was leaned against Severus's legs and Draco was leaned against Hermione's back, the two of them supporting each other. When the brunette realized Ginny's position she almost grinned, almost. She and Ginny weren't friends by a long shot but they were getting better.