Author's Note: Really, really, really sorry for taking so long in updating this. Life got really crazy between academic stuff (mainly logistics to double major and graduate, applying to study abroad), applying for jobs after graduation, getting ready for interviews, finals, and a bunch of other little annoying things that came up. And there were a few times where I could have written, but I was just wasn't feeling it mentally and didn't want to write substandard, because you all deserve better. I think life has kind of cleared up now for a while, so I can start updating this at least semi-regularly again.
MAJOR thanks to my subscribers and their loyalty. Thank you SO much for the over 100 reviews right now. 0_0 I'm quite humbled by that.
And finally, on a level of the story itself, this one and presumably the next one – though I haven't actually written it out yet – are going to be mainly from Severus's POV. Mainly because Hermione's starting a bit of a scheme of her own, and I don't want the details of it entirely out until she sets it into action two chapters from now. So yeah…
Also, if you couldn't tell, one of my majors of study intruded a little bit into this chapter... But I found it actually rather fitting with the plot idea I had in mind, and Hermione's presumably rather well-read, so it could work I thought...
September 8th, 1976
It was difficult to focus on schoolwork after all that had happened, but it had to be done. The world and its requisite logistics were not going to cease simply because their existence inconvenienced a certain Sixth-Year Slytherin. And certainly, in one way of looking at things, school didn't really matter for him as Severus saw it.
He was, after all, soon to join with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters; and it wasn't as if entry conditions were a certain number of passed NEWTs. If anything, that'd disqualify most of them, Severus couldn't help but think a bit disdainfully. If the Dark Lord won, the rest of his life would surely be one of absolute luxury and power; if, unthinkably, the Dark Lord lost, he'd end up dead or in Azkaban for life – and honestly, he wasn't sure which seemed worse. Either way, academic performance was, technically speaking irrelevant to his future.
Sure that was all objectively true. Even so, he loved learning. Well, on subjects that he actually cared about. It brought a certain peace, serenity. Knowledge was objective. There was a logic, a reason. Something was either factually correct or it wasn't. At least in knowledge there was no emotions, no notions of morality to complicate things. Paradoxical as the thought would be to most other students, academics to Severus were simple, refreshingly so compared to the ongoing chaos of the outer world.
It was only a week into things, but already homework had started piling up. Particularly in his case for having enrolled in so many different classes. In an odd way, it was almost… nice though; a forced distraction from all the chaos of the outer world.
Barring academics, Tuesday had been mainly uneventful; they'd gone over stroke orders in Ancient Runes, for what to Severus felt like it most certainly have been the thousandth time. Astronomy had them going over stars and constellations he swore he could have recounted before setting foot in the castle.
It was Wednesday when things first became interesting once more. There'd been thoughts deeply concerning him of course. The letter he'd received from Malfoy, his rather delicate position within the hierarchy of the Death Eaters. More pressingly still Lily, and whatever minute chance the other muggleborn Gryffindor might give him there, odd as the very thought still sounded.
But as always, the more mundane matters of life never seemed to slow down for his convenience. Life in all its tedium still went on. Potions class that day, normally one of his favorites, consisted of nothing more but what was supposed to be a lecture on Golpalott's Third Law – but about fifteen minutes inwards, Slughorn began on what ended up being a rather long tangent regarding a party he once attended wherein a guest – one he wouldn't name specifically, but hinted rather strongly was presently a person of some influence within the Ministry – became so inebriated that he believed himself to be dying, and the rather comical attempts resulting from trying to help the man recover and salvage what remained of his reputation that evening. The professor was still talking when class was over, and it was only at Lupin's reminder of the time that the students therein were let free. Severus had nearly fallen asleep.
DADA initially had seemed rather mundane as well – Gyllenkrok going on at length on the Imperius curse, theoretical means of resistance, and legal exemptions for it use; evidently the first in the series on the Unforgivable Curses and their effects at length. While the Imperius curse itself was, under most circumstances, illegal to perform – not that Severus cared to abide by Ministry law; but for now it was a matter of practicality – the lecture held enough theoretical parallels to his own research into Legilimency and Occlumency that it might have held his interest more deeply were it not so seemingly watered down.
From what little he could gather of the older man's presentation, the subtle things, tone of voice, aversion of gaze, Severus almost thought he could surmise that Professor Gyllenkrok wished to say more, yet felt constrained by the regulations at Hogwarts. An intriguing thought really, and a part of him leapt with exhilaration at the thought of someone else knowledgeable who shared his passion for the Dark Arts. Perhaps it was a long shot, but it was at least something. Maybe if he ever had the chance, the two of them could have a conversation together on such things. On a … purely theoretical level of course. Sure, Slughorn too was more open-minded than most Hogwarts professors, and despite being primarily a professor of Potions, he still held a fair bit more knowledge on theory regarding the Dark Arts than he might initially let on, but… if anything, Gyllenkrok seemed just slightly more promising in that regard. Granted, it was still a very initial impression, but there almost seemed to be hope in that regard.
It was only at the ending of class, however, when matters suddenly became significantly more intriguing.
"One last matter." Gyllenkrok had called to the class as they had begun to pack away their books and quills. "Dueling Club is having its first meeting this evening following dinner, in the dueling arena on the first floor. This first meeting is only for House Captains – for purposes of this class, Miss Granger and Mr. Snape – though meetings every following Wednesday will be open to interested parties. I suspect I shall see the two of you there at the proper time?" Gyllenkrok's cold grey eyes looked over the two of them knowingly.
"Yes sir…" Hermione responded a bit sheepishly, feeling simultaneously embarrassment for evidently having looked so stupid in front of a professor and barely concealed outrage at the other Gryffindors present for what they'd done to her.
Severus was about to respond in turn, rather sullen at the reminder of what trouble those imbeciles had caused for him – even if for once it seemed there'd been some small manner of justice meted out; when instead one of the said imbeciles spoke.
"Couldn't we come along also, keep an eye on 'Miss Granger'…?" Sirius inquired rather mockingly. "Make sure she knows when and where she's going, since she's clearly prone to getting lost."
Hermione couldn't help but shoot him a look of absolute loathing. Severus too, though for once, oddly, Sirius's insults weren't made towards him directly, also couldn't help glowering a bit – perhaps just at the sheer imbecilic arrogance of the Gryffindor's tone.
"Mr. Black…" Professor Gyllenkrok began, an icy chill in his tone. "You'd do well to consider yourself blessedly fortunate that you are not a student of Durmstrang. If the four of you had done anything so remotely mindlessly irreverent as attempting to impersonate a professor there, detention would be the least of your worries. When Dumbledore informed me on the truth of the matter… It was his word only that prevented me from speaking to McGonagall about having the four of you expelled… If I hear even a rumor that the four of you persist in disturbing the only two students in this class who actually show some potential, such leniency may not be extended. Am I understood…?"
The impotent rage on the four Marauders' faces as they looked to each other, downwards, anywhere but towards the professor was, to Gyllenkrok's two "best students" absolutely priceless. This amounted to an almost all out declaration of war on the Marauders' antics – the first professor to make a serious effort along those lines. Surely the idiots would try and retaliate. There'd be pranks or worse directed at the older man; but somehow, Severus knew instinctively, that'd only make the Marauders' fate all the worse. This settled it; he was really, really beginning to like Professor Gyllenkrok.
For once, in what seemed an eternity, Severus actually didn't feel miserable. Fleeting as it was, he had hope again of getting Lily back, the Marauders had been put in their place, there'd been a modicum of justice there, and finally a Professor had recognized him for his own talent. Even the other Slytherins were beginning to forget about the incident with him losing the fifty points. Perhaps, though he dared not think such thoughts fully, for fear of a sadistic fate suddenly reversing things for him out of spite, things might be showing signs finally of some improvement. It remained to be seen, clearly. But still, if nothing more, he had at least the first meeting – the first real meeting that was – of Dueling Club to look forward to that evening.
He'd eaten dinner relatively quickly. For once there was the prospect of something reasonably decent to look forward to afterwards. His dorm mates had expressed sentiments somewhere between keen interest and thinly veiled jealousy at Severus being selected for the position, but after he'd promised them they could come to next week's meeting, and he'd use what influence he had to ensure they made the team, they seemed to accept it well enough.
And so, actually having eaten a decent amount of food, Severus muttered whatever goodbyes to the other Slytherins and made his way towards the dueling arena. He was evidently the last party to arrive, as Gyllenkrok, Hermione, and the two other House captains were already there.
For Ravenclaw, a rather tall and slender blonde haired girl had been selected, a rather bored expression on her face, as she seemed to be absentmindedly muttering to herself some mnemonic or other to remember the stars and constellations that they'd gone over in Astronomy that day.
The Hufflepuff was a shorter, brown haired boy, who was looking over the room anxiously, as if not particularly wanting to be there. As the other House captains would learn later, he was only there because no one from Hufflepuff had volunteered, and Gyllenkrok had grown impatient and finally selected him as he had had slightly better performance than the others.
Hermione for her part had been holding a conversation with Gyllenkrok over some matter or another, but gave Severus a curt nod as he approached, which he rather awkwardly returned – he still wasn't entirely certain what to think of her. And in whatever case, even if on some levels he was expected to maintain contact with her for his … duties; it wouldn't do to look overly friendly. Appearance was still key to everything.
"So, we're all here. Might as well begin then." Gyllenkrok stated, walking to the front of your room. "You are here, Miss Granger, Mr. Lockwood, Miss Faraday, and Mr. Snape representing the four ancient and noble Houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Or something of the sort…" he muttered, a slight hint of perhaps derision in his tone. "In any case, Dumbledore asked me, in addition to my teaching duties, to oversee the formation of this club. Your duties in turn, as the best and brightest of eligible candidates from your respective Houses, is in turn to recruit and oversee other students. Much like Quidditch, there will be a number of formal duels between the Houses this year, the first of which will be November 1st. Here is a list of all scheduled duels." With a flick of his wand, Gyllenkrok shot a scroll at each of the four of them, listing when and between what Houses duels will be held. Giving the four of them a minute to look them over, he continued. "As you can see, at the end of the year, there will be a final duel. Unlike in Quidditch, this will involve all four Houses, regardless of their earlier proficiency or … lack thereof." Hermione couldn't help but notice that Gyllenkrok's eyes fixated rather sharply on Lockwood as he annunciated the last bit. "Your teams' performance in this and other duels will influence your Houses' respective House Points, and could very well mean the difference between victory and defeat between the four Houses." He paused a moment, stroking his rather thin beard before continuing.
"Now, to the rules of the duels themselves. These events will consist of two types – individual duels; much like we held in class before, where one person of one House duels another of a House opposing. We also will have team duels in which five individuals from each House, necessarily consisting of the team captain as one member, will duel one another. The rules of each individual duel, whether they for example are restricted to a certain set of spells, voiced or unvoiced, with or without wands, will vary, and you will not be informed ahead of time – so you'd do well to practice for all such contingencies. Speaking of wands…" Gyllenkrok nodded slightly, "A special set of wands have been produced for the duels themselves."
Reaching into his cloak, Gyllenkrok pulled out four wands of identical weight and make, the only difference being the crest of one of the four Houses charmed onto each of them. He handed each captain the wand of their respective House and gave them a moment to look them over.
"They're specially made." He explained, "Charmed in such a way that only certain spells can be used. Not much use in teaching you lot if you're going to kill yourselves off in practice after all. That and in all ways they're identical, so it's more fair between the Houses."
"But sir!" Hermione interjected. "Every witch or wizard has a wand that's best suited to them. Surely you can't expect us to perform as well with a wand not matched to us. That goes against anything I've ever read on wandlore, and I don't possibly see how you expect…"
"A most astute observation," Gyllenkrok nodded solemnly, "And I agree with you. If I'd have had my way, I'd let you use your real wands; but Dumbledore was adamant – for safety reasons – that these special wands had to be used. Certainly not the way I'd have liked it, but my hands are tied. Still, I think, particularly for the spells you'll be using, those with natural talent will rise to the top."
Something about Gyllenkrok's answer put Hermione very off. She'd been in Dueling Clubs before twice. Both times started with Dumbledore's approval. Both times not involving any such wands. At least in the future, the man seemed to have no problems with students using their own wands in duels, as long as they stuck to the prescribed rules otherwise. It seemed … a stretch to imagine he'd insist otherwise now. But, of course, she had no real means of expressing her suspicions. Certainly not to Gyllenkrok himself. Maybe… in the future… the next time she saw Dumbledore alone, she might ask him casually about it, bring the subject of the Dueling Club and the wands up, ask idly if it'd truly had been his idea, and then assess it from there. If Dumbledore really had suggested such a thing, then she was just being paranoid; but for now, she couldn't shake the vague feeling that something rather odd was afoot.
"Now, returning to the logistics of things – why I've called you here. You each have two weeks to recruit students from your House for each of your teams. You can recruit any number you like, but each match will only involve five participants, with allowances for stand-ins in case of injuries or other mishaps. After the two week recruitment period has elapsed, teams may reserve time slots in the duel arena for practices. Such reservations must normally be made at least forty-eight hours in advance. Participants in Dueling Club may be from any year, but naturally those of upper years tend to have more proficiency I should imagine, so bear that in mind. With that, unless there are any further inquiries, I shall let you go for the evening. In one case or another, I shall see the four of you next week at this same time, in a meeting open to all interested parties."
Gyllenkrok paused a moment, the five there looking to each other silently. "Very well," he said, after a moment or so of no questions. "I'm sure the four of you have a lot to do this evening. I won't keep you."
For Severus, the matter of recruiting team members was quite easy. His four dorm mates had practically begged him at dinner to let them join the team; that was five right there, and beyond that, any other interested parties would only make things better. Something he didn't imagine it to be altogether difficult to interest other Slytherins in Dueling Club – even this watered down version that clearly had Dumbledore's hand all over it.
He was about to into the corridor leading to the Slytherin dormitories, ready to finish up what homework remained for the evening when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he realized that Hermione had followed him out of class. Merlin she was… insufferable.
"What is it…?" he questioned tonelessly, still a bit wary of looking all too friendly towards her in public.
"We need to talk." Hermione said in a quiet, yet urgent voice. "Same place as before. I'll be there first. Meet me in fifteen minutes." And with that, before even giving him a chance to respond, she marched off. She had a lot on her mind, a theory that had rapidly been forming ever since the meeting at Dueling Club had started. And, if she was right about it, she might well need Snape as an ally. Somewhat difficult, considering the circumstances, but she'd thought up something of a plan.
For a while, Severus debated whether or not to follow her. If he was seen with her, it could make things … uncomfortable. And he wasn't still certain of her intentions in any case. That said, he supposed the way he'd set the Room of Requirement up, it would be relatively safe; and he did have to admit to a certain strained curiosity for what it might be that she'd have to say. So finally, his curiosity overcoming his unease, he too made his way up to the Room of Requirement.
When he arrived, Hermione of course was already there, evidently reading a book. "Hello," she'd offered in a rather polite tone, though still not putting it down. "Just give me a second to finish this paragraph or so."
Severus could only frown, sitting down in the seat opposite her. Such behavior was rather … odd; at least of the image he'd constructed of her. She was a Gryffindor. Aside from Lily, they didn't think the most of academics; they certainly wouldn't go out of their way to read something outside of books for class. That and, if she really had something so important to say to him, why was she wasting her time reading. Unless, he supposed, she was a bit nervous, and reading provided for her the same sort of tranquility it did for him. An odd thought, considering her House, but he supposed it might follow. She wasn't… he supposed… in strictest speaking… exactly the "typical Gryffindor"… maybe…
"What are you reading…?" He offered, a bit of an awkward attempt at at least starting something of a conversation.
A rather large grin formed on Hermione's face as she put the book down. Almost as if she'd been planning all along on him asking just that. "The Tale of the Heike" she informed him. "One of my favorite books from when I was a child. Still try to read it again from time to time. You ever heard of it?"
"I … can't say that I have, no…" Severus replied, a bit drily, not exactly seeing why she was spending so much time on something so mundane instead of actually getting to the reason she'd brought him here.
"Yeah, I suppose you wouldn't have…" Hermione frowned slightly. "It's a muggle book of course. I didn't even know I was a witch until my eleventh birthday, so of course all the books I'd read from then were muggle ones…"
Snape nodded slightly, a bit uncomfortable at even the mention of muggles, and really wishing she would just get to whatever point she would make.
"It's from ancient Japan – well, Heian period precisely. Well before the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy, which didn't go into effect until 1682 of course. Which makes it rather interesting, as I'm pretty sure at least one of the characters described within is a wizard. A lot of fighting and scheming and betrayal. I get the feeling you might actually like it."
"Doubtful…" was all Snape could reply in something that was beginning to approach an acerbic tone.
"Anyhow," Hermione continued completely undeterred, "It's based on a rather interesting period in Japanese history, where two different clans were each trying to put their own candidate forward as Emperor. And, it ended up coming to all out war. Now, obviously for the two main families of the two clans, it was easy enough to pick a side; they had their whole futures invested in the outcome of it after all. For the others though, that's where things get … interesting. Two sides fighting each other, they have no strong connection to either. If you pick the winning side, the rewards are great, a high position in the new government, you're rich, powerful for life. Pick the wrong side though, and it's exile or worse…" Hermione paused dramatically, making a motion with her hand across her throat. "And you'd be expected to do it yourself usually."
"Well, there just happened to be two characters within the book who I always found to be the most intelligent. Not main characters by any means, but they made it out better than most. That is, they found a way to cheat the system so to speak. Two cousins in the book, they made a deal with each other; each of them join opposite sides in the war, and they made a deal that whatever one ended up on the winning side would help get a pardon for the other. So… whatever side lost, they still both won. Rather smart way of doing things if you ask me…" Hermione nodded a bit proudly, giving Severus a second to go over what she'd just said.
"And you know, it got me thinking. History repeats itself… That stuff in the Heike, it kind of reminds me of what's going on in the world here and now."
Snape frowned and was about to object to any analogy between the muggle world and his own, but Hermione continued talking.
"Think about it. We have two factions fighting for power right now. The Ministry and the Death Eaters. Whatever one ends up winning in the end, their enemies are going to end up in Azkaban or … worse…" she looked down. "And obviously Ministry employees are apt to support the Ministry – it's their whole livelihood, and it's given them a position of power in the world; and on the other hand, well, the Death Eaters promise a lot to the wealthier, pureblooded families, so a lot of them, I'm pretty certain, support the Dark Lord. That leaves… the rest of us. We all have to choose the side we think has the best chance of victory and serving our interests in the long run. Which, either way entails a degree of risk. I remember you told me the other day that you don't really care about the Death Eaters' ideology of blood purity; you just think it's the faction with the best chance of victory, and thus is the best means of keeping yourself and Lily safe, right?"
"I'm not incriminating myself…" Severus scowled, getting up to leave. Did she take him for an absolute idiot? It was an interesting enough ploy he supposed; rather creatively done, but he wasn't about to forget who she was, what her affiliations were.
"And I don't want you to…" Hermione shook her head. "Honestly, I don't care. We're all just doing what we can to survive. That's my point. If anything, for what I'm saying, I think it'd work better if you were with the Death Eaters, but of course I recognize how you're far wiser than to say anything so stupid to a perfect stranger. But, if you'd give me a minute, I have a confession of my own to make, about my own involvement… with Dumbledore."
Severus narrowed his eyes. That was certainly an … odd turn of things. Well, if anything, it piqued his curiosity enough that he begrudgingly sat right back down.
"I admit, you're probably absolutely right in some of your assumptions about me." Hermione began, "I do in fact work for Dumbledore. In fact, I founded an underground organization for him known as Dumbledore's Army." Well, it wasn't a lie, strictly speaking. The implications were a bit different, and past tense was a bit off, but that was an entirely other matter. "But, the thing is, I'm not really a Ministry supporter. Not in the strongest sense. There's a lot of things they do that I don't like. They serve my interests a bit better than the Death Eaters would on my own though, and it's not likely I could have even joined the latter if I wanted to, being muggleborn. So I'm just doing the best I can to survive. I don't see you as the enemy though. Our fight is really just with Voldemort – or more aptly, Dumbledore's or the Minister's is with Voldemort – and those like you and me, well, we're just trying to survive the best we can. We're not really that different, if you think about it that way, and I think, since we both realize this, that we could both help each other."
"How exactly, do you propose…?" Severus asked a bit tersely, admittedly interested, but still rather uneasy about all of this.
"Well, like the cousins in the Heike, we'll play both sides. If the Death Eaters win, you keep me safe like you're already doing for Lily; in turn, if the Ministry wins, I'll use my influence with Dumbledore to convince him to give you a full pardon, saying you were a spy for us all along or something. In the mean time… the way I see it, there's only so many spots high up in the Death Eaters or Ministry to go around. And… I'd rather see you high up in the former than someone less… sympathetic to my interests… if you'd be willing to work that way. On the other hand, I'd really appreciate anything you could do to help me rise through the levels in turn…"
It… was an interesting thought, Severus had to admit, but deeply suspcious
"Oh, don't look at me like that. Do you really think Slytherins are really the only ones conscious of their own interests?" interjected, in an almost playful tone.
"And how exactly am I supposed to trust you on this…?"
"Good point." Hermione nodded. "Well, I certainly couldn't reasonably expect you to right away without any evidence. That'd be rather foolish of you, certainly. The idea is, like I said, I'd imagine there's only so many good seats to go around on your side. If… there's ever an instance where you'd like… a rival to your advancement… taken out… Captured, put in Azkaban, that sort of thing. Well, as far as I can see, that'd be in both of our interests, wouldn't it? A Death Eater put away, and a chance for promotion so to speak on my end, and of course, a rival eliminated on yours. If the Dark Lord really is immortal like you said, locking away a few of the less desirable of his members couldn't prevent his ultimate victory, so there's no loss to your interests there. And… of course, whatever side wins, as long as you did your part… I'll tell Lily that all along you were just trying to protect her…"
"Tell you what, no need to decide now." Hermione said, giving Snape a moment or two to think it over. "It's a big decision, and while I think you'll find it's in your interests at least as much as mine, it's best you make an informed decision I think. But, my offer remains open. If there's ever someone, one of the Death Eaters I mean, who, for whatever reason, you feel it would be in your interests to have… removed, let me know. We can talk safely here." She gave him a rather reassuring smile as she waited for his response.
Severus frowned in thought. As far as he could see, the logic actually followed soundly enough. It made sense, their interests actually did align on this point, if they really were both able to be so Machiavellian about things. It was a bit difficult to believe from a Gryffindor, but, as he'd already come to establish, she was anything but a typical one. He still wasn't anywhere near stupid enough to confirm his status as a Death Eater to her – even though she'd outright admitted to being a spy for Dumbledore to him, though perhaps, if she was to be believed, not necessarily his enemy individually; but she hadn't even asked that of him. And… if she really would tell Lily afterwards, whichever side won… that could mean a lot… As far as he could see, as long as he was intelligent about things, he had everything to gain and little to lose through this.
"Alright…" Snape finally replied. "I don't have anything like that now, but… if it were to come up… I think… perhaps we could work something out…"