Wars of our Fathers
A fan fiction by labrt2004
Chapter Four
Written for debjunk in the Autumn 2011 SS/HG Exchange
Disclaimer: None of it is mine.
Author's Notes: Thank you to my betas, la_syren and snarkyroxy, for your tremendous help. And thank you,debjunk, for the great prompt. And thank you mods, for another wonderful exchange! This story is shamelessly AU. I've basically just taken whatever bits of canon are convenient and tossed out whatever bits aren't. :) Hope you enjoy it.
Dejunk's prompt: Severus Snape's heart has been sealed against women ever since the fiasco with Lily. He finds himself paired with Hermione Granger in some sort of working atmosphere and is not pleased. Things warm up to amiable at some point and during a discussion Severus comments icily that women are heartless users and are not to be trusted. Our resident know-it-all sets out to prove him wrong, and eventually succeeds.
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Severus looked up from absent-mindedly cutting his pot roast to see that the same pair of large, overly inquisitive green eyes was still fixed upon him from across the table. He put down his utensils with calmness, patiently faced the child, and asked, "Yes?"
At the end of the table, Ginny Weasley smirked into her napkin.
"Albus, don't stare!" Potter scolded, even as he did nothing to hide his amusement.
The boy, barely eleven years old but already beset by a pair of thick-lensed glasses, went back to his dinner. Severus sighed and prepared to return to his own meal. This was truly the last time, he promised himself. No more monthly dinners with the blasted Potters. He didn't know why he had ever agreed to venture into their home to begin with. He certainly hadn't been the one to suggest that the Potters name their spawn after him. Eleven years after the christening, and he still hadn't figured out a way to be rid of them.
"Mr. Snape?" This came timidly from a quavering voice across the table. It had apparently been too much to expect that the young man would stay chastened for long.
Severus gazed heavenward before answering. "Mr. Potter?"
"James said you got rid of all the pumpkin juice at Hogwarts and you're making everyone drink agrimony tea."
Severus turned to the elder Potter brother with a raised eyebrow. "Did he?"
James suddenly became extremely interested in shoveling carrots into his mouth. Ginny gave Severus a consoling smile and a wink, refilling his plate with another helping of pot roast.
Severus meditatively buttered a dinner roll. "I believe that your older sibling failed to mention that the night before, he and his fellows had attempted to brew what they called 'smartness potion,' which they then thoughtlessly distributed to their housemates. The result was forty students with diarrhea."
Albus' brow furrowed after he was presented with this new piece of information. He turned accusingly to his brother and hissed, "You said it was because Snape was using you to test potion ingredients!"
"Headmaster Snape, Albus. You had better get used to saying it, since once you get to Hogwarts tomorrow, you have to start calling Mr. Snape that," Ginny admonished.
Albus considered Severus doubtfully. "Okay." After a pause, the length of which the boy decided was properly polite, he inquired, "So did James get detention?"
"Certainly. In fact, your father himself, as his Head of House, had the honor of administering it."
"You got detention from Dad?" Albus' tone was laced with scorn.
"Yeah," James muttered resignedly, face red. His father shook his head at him in disapproval.
"It would appear that you need better sources for your information, Mr. Potter," Severus opined.
The boy busied himself with chewing, looking thoughtful. "Erm..."
"More questions?"
"So, the ghosts. Are they nice? Do they, uh, hang around in the castle after... " Albus trailed off with a shrug meant to convey a world of meaning.
Severus looked at Harry incredulously.
"He has lots of Muggle friends," Harry said apologetically. "Guess Muggle ghosts are a lot creepier."
An extra-fastidious scrape of his knife was Severus' only response to this. Turning back to his intrepid interrogator, he said, "Yes, there are a number of ghosts at Hogwarts. If your question is whether they will bother you while you are asleep or otherwise engaged in daily life, the answer is no. If your mother and father were not complete disgraces to parenthood, they would have bothered to teach you common wizarding knowledge, and you would have already known that ghosts, at least those residing at Hogwarts, are quite harmless."
Potter's wife laughed, giving Severus the unwelcome impression that he was being humored in the same fashion as the children. "Oh come on, Severus, give him a break, he's only a kid. He'll know soon enough what Hogwarts is all about."
Ignoring her, he continued, "You are starting your first year with an older brother already in school and your own father on the staff, and if history continues to repeat itself, Head of your House." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "I will most likely regret saying this to you, but I truly believe you have very little to be worried about in terms of your personal safety, Mr. Potter."
"Don't look to me to haul your pipsqueak first year butt out of trouble," said James.
Harry grinned, defusing the effect of Severus' glare. "You've said quite enough today, big guy. Best keep your mouth shut."
The sounds of silverware scratching along plates signaled the end of the meal. Ginny waved her wand to clear the table, then excused herself to attend to the proofs sent to her by the wizarding marketing firm at which she worked.
"A word, if you may, Potter," Severus said quietly.
Looking at him quizzically for a moment, Potter nodded to the children still at the table. "Go on outside, boys. Enjoy your last day before term begins."
With a whoop, they slid out of their chairs, racing each other to the door, animosity from earlier in the evening apparently forgotten.
Once they had departed, Severus stood and walked over to the window. "Your friend Granger starts at Hogwarts tomorrow. I sealed the Fealty Spell with her this afternoon." The memory of the unusually intense effects darted across Severus' mind again.
He heard Potter quickly uncross his legs and sit up straighter. "I didn't know you were even considering her. You told me I was out of my mind when I suggested her."
He sighed. "And so I did. I... had not quite intended for it to go that far when I went to see her for the first time last week. I confess, I went simply out of curiosity—I really could not understand why a universally acclaimed prodigy such as her was unable to complete her legal studies."
"She got tired of it. She wanted to do Potions, instead," Potter said as if Severus had failed to grasp the obvious.
With a sneer, Severus replied, "That is certainly what she tells you."
Potter tipped his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
Severus began pacing before the window. "I am still trying to sort through my own thought processes, which ultimately led me to offer her the job. It is some undoubtedly misguided notion having to do with perpetuating Albus' legacy, or perhaps I simply wanted to see if I could push her into accepting because she is possibly the only qualified candidate in the field, anyway."
Potter frowned. "Okay, so you went to see her... and then offered her a job on the spot?"
"As I have been saying, I'm not entirely sure why," Severus said impatiently. "But a lot of it may have to do with the fact that I notice that... something is wrong with her. It is not my concern, but I imagine it may concern you and any number of her other devotees."
"Something wrong with her?"
He pondered for a moment how he would respond. After all, he did not actually know Granger and would be a poor judge of what passed as normal for her. "She lacks the confidence that had allowed her to heedlessly gallivant about with you during your student years." Severus curled his lip.
Potter grew thoughtful. "How'd you get her to accept? I talked to her about it, too, she was pretty dead set against it."
"She was rather unwilling in the beginning, appearing preoccupied with some internal unhappiness. She accepted the offer in an emotionally charged state of mind and against what she believes to be her better judgment."
"Hmmm." Potter tapped a finger against his chin.
"I cannot help but note the irony of how you, who stared down a Killing Curse, should have this peaceful, well-adjusted existence—" he gestured all around him "—while she clearly lacks the same."
Potter flushed guiltily, which caused Severus to throw his hands. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, boy, I did not intend to imply that you are any less deserving. But simply..." Severus pulled out a chair from the table and sat before his former student, his robes pooling around him on the floor. "Potter. Did anything happen to Granger after the War?"
Potter reached behind him to knead the back of his own neck. "Hermione was always the most logical and steady of us three. She was also pretty private. She really wouldn't like for me to be saying stuff about her to you..." He fell into silence as he considered what to say next.
"I am trying to help," Severus said with forced patience.
"I know. I was just thinking..." Potter's voice grew soft. "How pleased he would have been. You've... really done a good job honoring his memory, Severus. I'm just taking a little minute to reflect on that, is all."
Potter was looking at him a bit too earnestly, and Severus averted his eyes. "Albus was always excessively fond of redemption," he said, though it did not come out with nearly as much bite as he had hoped.
The boy nodded sagely, the warmth in his eyes making Severus' insides feel less of their habitual cold. "He was." Taking a breath, Potter continued, "But anyway, Hermione Obliviated her parents right before she left with us in our seventh year to go look for the horcruxes, sent them off to Australia completely stripped of any memories of her. After the War was over, she tried to undo the spell. Not only did it not work, but it damaged them even more, so now they are living in a Muggle institution."
Severus contemplated this, trying to fit what he had seen of Granger's behavior against the framework of this new knowledge.
"I have to say, she hasn't been the same since. She was still as brilliant as ever, continued to fly through school. But she never talks about her parents. I don't think she's even seen them since she put them in hospital. I know she still blames herself. That's really all I know."
"I do appreciate your willingness to disclose."
Potter nodded once, jerkily. "I never for a second thought there was actually something wrong with her. I thought she quit law just because she wanted to quit law. I thought law was mind-numbingly dull, anyway."
"You are in possession of neither her drive nor intelligence, Potter," Severus said snidely.
The boy rolled his eyes. "Yeah. You saying nice things about her is way weirder than you going all Dumbledore, I'll tell you."
Severus scowled. "It was merely observation, not a statement meant to contain any sort of opinion, positive or otherwise."
Potter snorted. "By the way, you were wrong at dinner today. I don't think Albus will be in Gryffindor."
"Is that so?"
"He's told me a number of times that he wants to be in Slytherin." Potter shook his head. "You have an adoring shadow of your very own now, Severus. Congratulations."
"What kind of fictions have you been feeding that brat?"
"Only the heroic ones, of course. He doesn't have a clue about the number Hermione and I did on you in the Shrieking Shack our third year. Let me know if you ever need help managing, since I do know a thing or two about hero worship..." Potter grinned broadly.
"If any offspring of yours ever sets foot in my House..."
"Then he's all yours. Good luck."
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Reviews are much appreciated!