Hermione looks at the Headmistress, sitting across from her at the huge desk. For someone who has spent the last two days dealing with a gruesome murder scene, putting out fires, and keeping Hermione and Severus out of Azkaban, she looks remarkably calm.
"Tell me what I can do to convince you how sorry I am," she says, "I'll do anything."
The headmistress sighs. "The truth of the matter, Miss Granger, is that none of this is your fault. Hogwarts is a school for children. You are not a child. Hogwarts is a place for children to respect authority, and for those in the position of authority to keep children safe." McGonagall looks pointedly at Hermione. "We have never been able to keep you safe. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that you are having trouble respecting authority. The mistake was mine. I should never have let you enroll as a student this year."
Hermione opens her mouth to protest, but falls silent at a stern look from the Headmistress.
"I should have invited you to come back as a teacher's aide and given you full status as a member of the staff. You would have been free to help us, prepare for your NEWTs, and your relationship with Professor Snape, although still problematic, would be nowhere near as problematic for me as it is now."
Hermione opens her mouth to apologize, but again the Headmistress silences her.
"That is also my fault. It also resulted in consequence of allowing a grown woman, a traumatized one at that, to register as a student. Still, what's done is done, Miss Granger, and as Headmistress of this school my first responsibility is to this school. Currently, that means damage control."
Hermione stays silent, listening politely to McGonagall. She has her best earnest student expression on her face. When McGonagall gives her time to respond, Hermione says, "Just tell me what I can do to help."
McGonagall studies Hermione for a breath, wondering how best to proceed. Then, "Do you understand how important it is that the Ministry not catch wind of the nature of your relationship with Professor Snape?"
Hermione nods.
"Do you really? It wouldn't just mean the end of his career as a teacher, or in any respectable profession. It wouldn't just mean the end of my tenure as Headmistress. Oh, yes Miss Granger," McGonagall says when Hermione's face registers shock. "There are those at the ministry who lobbied hard against my appointment and are itching for any excuse to take me down. But that's not nearly the worst of it.
"Tell me, Miss Granger, why do you think I'm confident the ministry is going to keep this quiet, and keep Professor Snape out of Azkaban?"
Hermione has given this some thought. "Scabior should have been in Azkaban. He must have escaped. Then he nearly killed me. If the Wizarding public knew that they'd have the Minister's head."
"Correct. Now tell me, what you think the current public opinion is on your Potions Professor?"
"Complicated," Hermione says carefully. "They want to hate him, they probably secretly do, but Harry, Ron and I have been steadfast in our support of him publicly. No Witch or Wizard will speak against us at the moment."
"Correct again, Miss Granger. Now, what do you think would happen if the Ministry leaked to the press that Professor Snape had seduced you?"
Hermione's mouth pops open in horror. "They would turn on him in a second. And if I defended him it would only make it worse. Harry and Ron would disavow their support of him. The ministry would concoct a story of Snape and Scabior working together, and they would pack Snape right of to Azkaban for the rest of his life. And they would use his alleged help in the escape of Scabior to bring back the Dementors." One tear escapes Hermione's eye to roll down her cheek. She wipes it angrily away with her newly procured handkerchief from Snape, and ruthlessly shuts down the emotion.
The tear, the handkerchief, the look of ruthless determination. None of it goes unnoticed by the Headmistress.
"Now you see the adult consequences of your adult relationship, Miss Granger. It's a hell of a way to learn this particular life lesson, but there you have it."
Hermione jerks a little in surprise at the sound of the curse word on McGonagall's lips. "Please," she says softly. "Just tell me how I can keep him alive."
"The ministry wants to bury this as much as I do, but they will want to interview you. You and Snape need to get your stories straight. And you are going to have to practice defending Snape while still appearing to be mildly repulsed by him, instead of looking like a dewy eyed lovesick child. Can you do that?"
"It won't be a problem, Headmistress. Tell me though, can you make sure they never see us in the same room together?"
McGonagall laughs softly, but there is no humor in it. "Oh, intend to."