Chapter Forty-Nine: The Ugly Truth.
Severus was headed to the courtyard when he was suddenly hit by what he saw as a bush of messy hair. It didn't take a second glance to realise who it was.
Hermione looked up in horror as she'd accidently turned the corner too fast to see Snape walking. She brushed her hair back as quickly as possible and tried to look like she hadn't been raining tears mere seconds ago.
"I'm so sorry, Professor, I didn't see you there," she said apologetically, trying to hide her face. If there was one professor she didn't want to be seen crying in front of, it was probably Professor Snape—even if he had somewhat softened up in the last few months.
It wasn't hard to tell she'd been crying. He wasn't completely ignorant to what Harry had told him a few days ago. He knew Granger and Weasley were having issues. Was this his problem, though? Hardly. And yet, at the same time… if Harry knew he'd just ignored his friend like this, he'd probably get upset. Well, that and perhaps he was becoming a little bit softer since the events of the last year.
"Yes, well, I'd imagine it's quite difficult to see much ahead of you when your vision has been blinded by tears," he stated flatly. So he wasn't the greatest at comforting others. Sue him. It honestly wasn't any of his business.
Hermione looked down, feeling stupid. Sure, her best friend and Snape were in a relationship, but that didn't mean she and the professor were friends. He'd been pretty nasty to her, too, over the years.
"Follow me," said the Slytherin, turning back around. Granger didn't say anything, but she did obey. At least he could give her credit for being a sound student. Well… somewhat. She still dragged herself down by being around Potter and Weasley—a natural talent for getting into trouble.
Realising they were heading down to the dungeons, Hermione suddenly started feeling even more stupid. She shouldn't have let Ron get to her like that, but it was hard. Things between them were just falling apart so quickly. She knew their relationship would always have its ups and downs, but she didn't realise it could get so difficult.
When she was led into Snape's office, she stepped inside and looked around, seeing Fawkes sit up. She had to admit, she hadn't been in here since Harry and Snape had decided to be in a relationship. She didn't know why she was expecting some kind of drastic change, though. Everything seemed the same as the last time she was in here.
"Sir… can I ask why you've brought me here?" she said nervously now. Honestly, she was expecting him to tell her off for crying and running into him like he would have any previous year.
Taking a phial from one of the cupboards in his office, Severus approached the Gryffindor girl. "Take this." She gave him an odd look. "It'll clear your face up. Unless you enjoy looking like you've been crying all day?"
Looking up, Hermione instantly took the potion from his hand. Honestly, the thought of looking fine to Ron gave her a sense of satisfaction. At the same time, she was questioning why Snape would actually be willing to help her.
When she was done, she handed the potion back and asked, "Professor… why are you helping me?"
Putting the potion back on the shelf, Snape turned. He figured his actions probably gave away the fact that Harry had informed him that things weren't going smoothly between her and the Weasley boy.
"I've noticed the behaviour between you and your group of friends these last few days in class, Miss Granger. I may not like you Gryffindors, but that doesn't mean I'm blind to what is going on."
"I wasn't insinuating that…" Hermione mumbled apologetically.
"Nonetheless, a crying student is still of my concern," Snape stated calmly. "I don't tend to care what is going on, but I will put a stop to it if it is going to disrupt studies."
Hermione knew this was Snape's way of asking if everything was alright. It was odd. Actually, it was downright strange. She knew the snake bite and Harry saving his life (and everything after that) had made him change. He was no longer a slave to Voldemort, and that was a lot of stress off his shoulders. But still, it was new to her. To everyone else, as well. And most likely to himself, too.
"It won't," she said, looking back up at him. "I'm sorry, again, for running into you. I didn't mean to." She looked back down and rubbed her face, realising it was no longer puffy from her previous crying. She was thankful for that.
"Miss Granger," Snape started, putting his hands behind his back, "If Weasley bothers you in my class, I will make sure he serves a serious detention."
What? "Um… no, it's fine, Professor. It's not like that…"
"Then, by all means, what exactly is it, then?" It wasn't like he actually cared about Granger and Weasley's relationship, but having a crying girl in his class wasn't tolerable. Even worse, if it happened and he snapped at her while Harry was there.
"Look, I know you and Harry talk. It's stupid of me to think you wouldn't," Hermione confessed, looking back up, "I know bits about the bond. I know it makes it hard to keep emotions in-,"
"Get to the point," Snape snapped.
The witch nodded apologetically once again. "Ron and I will be fine. It's not going to become a problem in class, I promise."
"Really? Because from what I've observed when it comes to teenage romance is that nothing is easy and everything becomes a problem—especially in a trio of friends. If you think it's not going to cause an issue, I am giving you more credit than you obviously deserve when it comes to your intelligence level."
She didn't know if that was a compliment or not. She honestly didn't know what to say, though. What was she going to do about it? He was right. They shared classes, they shared common-rooms. Ron and Harry were still best friends, and she was also a best friend to Harry.
Bloody teenage drama. He mentally sighed, folding his arms. "The potion will help subdue the tears for at least the rest of this evening. However, it is not a permanent fix to your personal issues. I advise you get them sorted as quickly as possible, because I will not be lending you anymore. I don't often find ingredients walking willingly into my stores, Miss Granger."
When Snape moved to the door and opened it, Hermione got the point. "Thank you, Professor Snape," she mumbled. He said nothing, and so she left the office, a bit curious and confused. But he was right. Although she couldn't cry right now—due to the potion—she could when it wore off. This wasn't any kind of fix. It was just so she wouldn't be seen crying in front of anyone for the rest of the day. Was he trying to hint to her in his own way that she needed to sort herself out? She had no idea…
*****
When Harry arrived in the courtyard, he saw Ron sitting with Dean and Seamus. He seemed upset, but the boys were obviously trying to make fun out of it which bothered him more than it should have. Hermione was crying, and they were just sitting here mucking about?
"Ron, can I have a word?" he asked, interrupting them.
Ron shrugged. "I'm your friend now that you're away from that greasy bat?"
Harry's brow furrowed as he frowned. "Excuse me?" Since when had he made Ron feel like he wasn't a friend?
"Why don't you go back to Slytherin? It's where you wanna be, right?"
What the hell had gotten into Ron!? Harry was fuming now, almost ready to punch him. He'd never been a violent person, though—only when it came to protecting himself and his obvious emotional outbursts.
"What the hell is wrong with you? What did you do to Hermione!? You've got her crying and you're just sitting about laughing at it?" he yelled. "I've been trying to help you the whole time, but you've just been a miserable git over it and pushing me away. You gunna do that to Hermione now as well? Why? Because someone wrote her a bloody letter showing they cared about her? More than you did."
Ron stood up as the other boys went silent. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me," Harry retorted. "If you weren't so busy being jealous over my relationship with Snape, then maybe you would have put some effort into your own relationship and realised that Hermione just wanted affection. Well, she sure got it, didn't she? Just not from you."
"Take that back!" Ron yelled, pushing Harry in the chest and knocking him back.
Harry just shook his head. "You're a real idiot, you know that? You're so worried about what you're not getting that you forgot what you had. Stop being such an—oof!"
Harry was knocked to the floor when Ron tackled him, getting tangled in both of their robes. He tried to push the other boy from him, but the students were now egging the both of them on, cheering out their names and that there was a fight.
*****
It wasn't until it was too late that the Potions Master felt a heavy hit to his gut. Oh, Merlin, what the hell was that? He'd heard the yelling and screaming of the students out in the courtyard, so he'd rushed to see what all the ruckus was about and hopefully get some points taken away from whoever it was—as long as it wasn't Slytherin, of course.
McGonagall had made her way into the middle of the students and had made a path, many of them quickly moving away so that they wouldn't get into trouble. In the middle, Potter and Weasley were shoved away from one another from the witch.
He then realised why he'd felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Harry had been hit. The bond was so fresh that he was now feeling what Harry was—albeit a lot weaker. The potion was still working on him, though, because despite the blood that was now on his lip, he still looked perfect.
He was furious, to be honest. He was fuming! How dare Weasley hit him!? The bond was definitely strong, because right now, it took everything in him to not hex Weasley after seeing what he'd done to Harry.
"The both of you! I never want to see whatever this was again!" yelled McGonagall. "I have no idea what brought this on, but you are Gryffindor's. You will behave better than a pack of wild dogs!"
Ron still looked angry as ever, but Harry just looked away, not giving him the satisfaction. He saw Hermione in the crowd, and she looked horrified. There wasn't time to go after her, though.
"Weasley, get to the hospital-wing," said the headmistress, his hair rough and blood on his eyebrow—possible concussion. She looked over Harry, who didn't look nearly as messed up. "You seem fine, Potter. Just a bit lip. Should be fine with a potion."
"Yes, I'll seek to that," said Severus as he stepped in. "Potter, come with me."
When Harry took the order, he heard Ron snort. It made him want to turn back around and deck him, but he felt Snape's hand grab his shoulder and shove him away from the scene forcefully.
"Alright, I'm going!" he hissed, moving away from the crowd. Lunch was almost over, so he'd have to hurry this up, but he followed Snape a little ways down the corridor where it was much quieter.
Stopping, Severus pulled out a phial from his pocket. "Are you going to tell me what that was about?" he asked shortly.
Harry took the potion and dabbed it on his bottom lip, letting it heal. He winced as it hurt, but it was soon fixed. He just wiped the blood onto his sleeve.
"Ron's being a git," he muttered angrily, "I don't even know what happened between him and Hermione, but he upset her. I ran into her in the corridors and she was upset beyond belief, just saying that it was over between them. Obviously he's done and said something stupid."
Severus examined the lip before he took the potion back and shoved it into his pocket. He didn't say anything about Granger running into him.
"I thought Weasley was your friend. Why are you rolling on the floor with him in a punch-up? And even if Granger was upset, does that make it your business to fight with him?"
"She's my friend, so yeah! It does!" Harry barked. "You think I'm just going to sit around when someone's hurt my friend? He's being an idiot, not to mention hurting someone he's meant to love! Besides, he was the one who hit me!"
"Getting into a punch-up is hardly a way to show that you are concerned over the matter…" Severus said bluntly.
Harry just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you're not exactly first on my list for friend advice, you know?"
The Slytherin put his hands down. He knew he was hardly the person to talk to about friendship, but he'd be lying if he said that that remark didn't bother him.
"Get to class, Potter," he ordered, turning swiftly and heading back down to the dungeons.
Knowing he shouldn't have said that, Harry almost ran back after Snape, but the bell rung overhead. He frowned to himself. He didn't mean to make Severus feel bad, he was just in a hostile mood. He'd just gotten into a fight with someone who was meant to be a best mate of his. Instead, they seemed like worse enemies than he and Malfoy ever had been.
Expelling an aggravated noise, he turned around and headed to class. He saw the back of Hermione's hair and quickly walked to catch up to her.
"Hey, you alright?" he asked, putting a hand onto her shoulder. Her face looked clean, like she hadn't even been crying at all. Honestly, he didn't know how she'd pushed it back so quickly. He was still furious!
"You really shouldn't have gotten into a fight with Ron. It's just going to make things worse," Hermione informed. It wasn't that she wasn't thankful that Harry was sticking up for her, but she knew this was more trouble than what it was worth. They were meant to be friends.
"Well it wasn't like I intended it to get that far… He pushed me and it just happened," Harry explained. "I know, I shouldn't have said anything, but what's going on with you two? Surely the letter isn't getting him this riled up?"
Even though she couldn't cry, Hermione wished she could right now. It didn't make the ache go away, she just literally couldn't produce any tears right now.
"It doesn't matter anymore… It's over. I don't want to be in a relationship with Ron anymore. It's too much trouble. Things were just so much easier when we were friends. Honestly… I feel it was too rushed, and… things back then were so awful, I think I just clung onto the first person I could."
What? Harry didn't know if he believed that or not. He knew that they had had their ups and downs, but he thought their relationship was legit. At least it seemed that way from the outside. Every relationship had those. His and Severus' surely did!
"Are you saying that you really don't love Ron?" he asked, stopping her by grabbing on the sleeve of her robe. Students who were walking the corridors passed them up, complaining, so he pulled her to the side where they had some room.
"I know this letter has been hard on Ron, but come on… it's just Ron being Ron. He's always been jealous and aggressive. I thought that just meant he cared more."
But that's what Hermione didn't like in him. Relationships were about trust, not being jealous and bitter over a simple letter.
"It's an ugly side of him, Harry. One that I can't be on the receiving end of anymore. It's been this way for a while now. We're just too different. We've tried to change for each other, but… it's not that easy to change."
"Snape changed," Harry suggested. So had Malfoy and plenty others after the battle.
"He also almost died. It took Nagini biting him and the boy who hated him to open his eyes up to a less cruel world. And Ron isn't Snape," Hermione made clear. "He's not going to change because he's not willing to. At least Professor Snape was willing to. He had nothing else to lose, only something to gain. Ron is… a child, still. He'll never grow up to that point."
Honestly, sometimes Harry didn't think much in Snape had changed at all. He'd just become a bit more… tolerable and open. There was always a sweeter side to Severus, he just didn't allow others to see it. He was thankful that he was able to now. It had been a true eye opener. Perhaps he hadn't changed at all, besides the relationship side of him.
"Hermione, do you love him?" he asked, looking at her seriously. "If you do, then you have to fight for this to get better. You can't just let it go away… I know Ron can be a downright git, but have you ever thought that he's just upset because he loves you?"
Hermione shook her head. "Harry… I know you wish for everyone to be happy, but this isn't just going to go away that easily. I don't think I do anymore… I don't think I have for a while now. And honestly, staying in a toxic relationship just so one of us can be happy? I can't do that, to myself or Ron. I'm sorry."
Harry didn't know what to say. He just felt like his stomach had fallen to his bowels. She was right, though. Being in a relationship like that wasn't making anyone truly happy, was it?
"By the way, thank Professor Snape for the potions to stop my tears."
When Hermione walked away, Harry lifted a questioning brow. So that's why she wasn't crying? Why didn't Snape tell him? And he'd just gone off at him and probably made him feel awful. He frowned. He'd have to talk to him next time he saw him, because now he felt like an utter dick.
*****
Classes with both Ron and Hermione had been stressful. Not just that, but because he and Ron clearly weren't talking either, and that wasn't helping anything. He'd tried to talk to Ron, but couldn't bring himself to actually do it. Every time he saw him, he could just feel a raw fire burn within the pit of his gut. Instead of causing a scene, he decided against it.
When it was time for Potions, it meant that all three of them were together once more. Ron didn't sit at his usual table, and instead sat with Dean. Harry sat down by himself, but Hermione soon sat beside him.
"I'm sorry Ron's not talking to you," she said apologetically.
"It's not your fault," he muttered, trying to avoid eye contact with Ron. He could tell he instantly got pissed off when Hermione sat with him. Well, it wasn't like she'd sit with Ron, was it? Not with the way he was acting!
"Do you want to tell me what exactly happened?" he asked, looking back.
"Not now… class is about to start."
Harry was about to open his mouth, but he heard the door open, which meant Snape was here. He fell silent, as did the rest of the class. He saw Ron make a face from the corner of his eye. He was about to flip him off, but Snape smacked a book at the back of his head, making him wince and others chuckle.
"Want to make ridiculous faces in my class, Mister Weasley? I will slip a potion into your pumpkin juice and make it stay that way forever," drawled the Potions Master as he headed to the front of the class.
Harry turned his head to the front and smirked to himself.
"Exams are coming up quickly. Quicker than most of you may realise," Snape informed as he leant against his desk. "In previous years, you may have passed by the skin of your teeth, but let me tell you, this year will be much more difficult."
Watching the professor, Harry really did enjoy when Snape spoke in class. And once more, they were put into groups of two. He was more than happy to work with Hermione on this one.
As they set themselves up, he was glad that the room was filled with soft chatter. It gave him a chance to actually talk and, once more, ask what had gone on between Ron and her.
"Honestly, Harry, you're not going to let it go, are you?" she asked, opening the book and setting the ingredients up.
"You think I would? Come on, Hermione, you know me better," Harry laughed. "I'd at least like to know so I don't look like a complete moron. I mean… I got pretty nasty with Ron…"
"What exactly did you say to him to make him push you?"
Grabbing some of the ingredients, he gently put them into the cauldron. "I said that he needed to stop being jealous of my relationship… that he needed to look after you. Give you more attention, something like that." Honestly, it had all just kind of come out of nowhere.
Hermione looked down, shaking her head lightly. "You know, in all the years we've been close… all we've done is kiss."
Harry stopped what he was doing, looking at her awkwardly. So her and Ron had never actually…? Well, they were all still pretty young. Honestly, if it weren't for Severus and the bond, he'd probably still be a virgin. He knew Ron was immature, but he thought he was just a big a horn ball as the next bloke.
Obviously Hermione wanted, or needed, more than what Ron was giving her. Perhaps that's what this letter was all about. Viktor was showing her a sense of compassion. Something that she probably appreciated a lot. But that was hardly reason to dump Ron.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I had no idea. Honestly… I mean, I knew Ron was a bit… shy when it came to that stuff, but I thought he just didn't like being public about it. I mean, even in the common-room he's blown off his fair share of jokes."
"It's not just that," said Hermione, "It's a lot of things. Small things. I just can't see us ever being truly happy. Not with our different career choices. Not with our personalities and interests. I can't say that in ten years time, I could see us happily married with a child. All I see is… a marriage councillor. God, he can't even talk about… girl problems."
Harry frowned once more. It seemed there was a lot more going on than he realised. That was one thing he was thankful about with his relationship. He didn't care for the feminine issues, but it could get confusing sometimes. He was hopeless about it when Ginny complained.
"I didn't realise… I'm really sorry. I should have at least noticed something," he murmured softly. "I guess I was so caught up in my own life… I've been a bit selfish. Sorry."
"It's honestly not your fault, Harry," reassured the girl. "Honestly, Ron should have been more understanding about your relationship. We all knew it wasn't easy for you, nor Professor Snape." She quickly looked around in hope that the professor wasn't around to hear them.
"To be perfectly honest, it was then that made me realise just how selfish he was being. It was like I wasn't even there, like I wasn't good enough for him or something. He just got so bitter about you. Not just because it was Snape, but… I don't know. But your relationship is none of our business, so none of it should have mattered between he and I. But it did. And he ignored me. He didn't even see me as anything good."
"I thought you two had gotten closer—much closer. Especially over the holidays."
"I think we tried. Or at least I did. But it didn't last long. I can't even tell you how many nights I spent lecturing him over you."
Okay, that was starting to bother Harry a lot now. Why was his relationship so important to Ron? Was he honestly that jealous that he was willing to toss his own relationship away?
He was about to open his mouth when he saw Snape coming his way. He closed it immediately as the professor came to inspect their cauldron. He was silent, which only meant they were on the correct path. And once more, the black robes were wisped away from their station and moved onto the next.
There was a clunk on the floor and a splashing noise, making everyone look up from their stations. At Ron's table, the cauldron had overflowed and been knocked over. Harry shared a glance with Hermione as Ron and Dean were covered in liquid.
Snape hissed as he ordered them to clean up their mess and told them not to bother continuing. They both got a detention after class tomorrow evening as well. Harry couldn't help but snort. After today, Ron kind of deserved it, even if he did feel a little bit guilty over the whole thing.
When class finally finished, Harry let Hermione go before he stayed back. The students finally filed out and he approached the desk Severus was sitting at. He still felt bad about snapping at him before at lunch time. Snape hadn't exactly been close all lesson, so it was hard to tell if he was still mad over it.
"Hey…" he said softly. Snape just raised a brow as he was writing on a piece of parchment. "I'm sorry about lunch. I shouldn't have gone off at you. I guess it was just the adrenaline rush. Still… Hermione told me that you helped her…"
"I wouldn't use that term…" Severus muttered.
Harry smirked. "Yeah? Well, whatever you wanna call it, it was still a nice thing to do. I'm sure she appreciates it a lot."
Severus put down his quill and stood up. "Harry, I may not care what is going on with your friends, but Miss Granger is still a student here. She's still my responsibility when it comes down to it. I couldn't have her weeping in my class, disrupting the atmosphere."
Yeah, but Harry knew he didn't just do it for himself. He did it for Hermione. He had to smile at the fact that Severus did listen to him when he talked about his friends—despite the age gap and despite the fact that he wasn't exactly friends with them.
"Are you going to sort out your issue with Weasley?"
As Snape moved down the steps, Harry turned and followed him. The professor waved a hand and the classroom cleaned itself up, the parchment he was working on putting itself away into his desk.
"Well… I'd like to, but… he's being difficult," he explained. "I mean, every time I think about him, it just makes me mad. He tried to fight me."
Reaching the door, Severus held it open and allowed Harry out. Seeing that this was the final class of today, he didn't mind so much that Harry was dawdling. Besides, he needed to tell Harry that he was going to see if he could speak to Desiree.
"The question is, Harry, is that do you wish to continue your friendship with Weasley?" he asked, continuing to walk down the corridor at a leisurely pace. He placed his hands behind his back.
Harry looked down at his feet as he walked. "Of course I do. It's just… sometimes he really needs to be slapped back into what's important. Like friendship. Not jealously…"
Stopping before they reached a more crowded area, Snape put his hand onto Harry's shoulder and turned him to face him. "Harry, I may not care for Weasley, but if you wish to not lose your friend, then you must let him know that." He'd lost Lily by pure accident, and he didn't want to see the same thing happen to Harry over something as stupid as jealousy.
"Focus on your relationship with your friends instead of worrying about other things—besides your studies, obviously," he added in a serious manner.
Realising what Severus meant by that, he nodded. "I still want to know Desiree-,"
"Stop worrying over it," Severus butted in, putting a hand up. "I will go there myself. I will speak to her. I will get down to the bottom of why she chose us."
"But I want to be there," Harry pushed in. "I want to see her face to face."
"No," Severus' voice was stern, "I will not have you in the same room as that witch. She's already caused enough outbursts from you. You don't need that happening in a prison full of Dementors and guards. Not to mention your future career could be at stake. What if the Auror's saw you lose control? Hardly a first impression you'd like to give them."
But he wanted to! He looked away in an annoyed manner, but Snape turned his eyes back to his.
"I promise I will tell you everything. I will not let a single detail slip my tongue. Is that good enough?"
Sighing, Harry knew he wasn't going to win with the professor. Snape could be just a stubborn as he. "Alright… but you better be honest with me. I don't care what she says and how hurtful or personal it can be to you or me. I want to hear it. Yeah?"
"Cross my heart," Severus smirked. When Harry said nothing, he scruffed the Gryffindor's hair. "Fix your friendship with Weasley."
Harry mumbled to himself, "Easier said than done," before the two of them headed their separate ways for the night. The both of them were in need of a serious bath.
Author's Comment:
I was actually really stoked when J.K came out saying that she thought she'd done wrong by Hermione and Ron being in a relationship. Personally, I always thought it was a bad match myself, and I always thought maybe Harry and Hermione would end up together. So I was really happy when she came out saying that in the end she feels their relationship wouldn't work out and they'd probably have a marriage councillor.