Hermione couldn't quite comprehend the madness she saw as she entered the great hall. The teachers were all in attendance, which rarely ever happened for breakfast during a normal day, and they all seemed to be trying to talk, at the same time, to a figure standing in their midst.
Hermione stared in confusion for a second; but then the figure broke away from the group and she finally recognized the black hair and bright green eyes of one of her best friends.
"Harry!" Hermione ran over and threw her arms around the boy who lived and crushed him in a huge hug.
"Hey Hermione, forgot you were here." He chuckled in her ear before releasing her and finally looking at her from head to toe.
"What happened to you?" He asked, his voice going from excited to worried in the matter of a second.
Hermione wasn't sure what he meant. Sweat coated her palms and broke out at the base of her neck as the thought that he might've found out what Snape had done crossed her mind.
She was able to reason with her mind though that he couldn't be asking about that because his tone had changed after looking at her, and she didn't bear any mark of what had occurred.
"What do you mean Harry?" Hermione asked in her most confused voice.
Harry looked at her for a second, then his eyes traveled over her shoulder to her charge.
Hermione tried to keep composure as she asked Harry again what he meant.
"Your eye," he murmured gesturing towards the damaged eye she'd completely forgotten about.
"Oh, that's nothing." Hermione said in a high voice. Harry was now glaring at Snape. Hermione knew that Harry had forgiven Snape for their years at school but it seemed that, that alone had not endeared Snape to him completely.
Harry took hold of Hermione's arm and led her a few paces away. Hermione was aware that every eye in the room was upon them, including Minerva's.
"Hermione, tell me honestly, has he done something to you?" Harry sounded genuinely concerned for her. Which is the only thing that saved him from a sound tongue lashing.
"Of course he hasn't," Hermione squared her shoulders and stared up at her friend, he'd gotten taller since she'd seen him last. "Snape has been courteous and even pleasant. You have nothing to worry about, honestly"
Hermione felt a little guilty at this, but it was true he had nothing to worry about. The binding wouldn't let Snape hurt her, even if he wanted to.
"The eye is from a nightmare I had I broke a blood vessel." Hermione added.
Harry looked at her for a moment with a searching gaze. Apparently he had been taught a thing or two about watching for lies in his auror training.
Harry gave her a tiny apologetic smile. Not enough to see her falsehood though.
"Sorry Hermione. A couple of us are meeting up with Ron and his new girlfriend for drinks later at the Three broomsticks if you want to tag along?" Harry looked very hopeful that she'd go.
Hermione didn't quite know what to say, she did want to see more of Harry but the prospect of seeing Ron again and with a girlfriend, she wasn't sure she could handle that.
"We would be delighted Potter, when are we expected to be there?" Snape's voice crawled over Hermione's shoulder and froze Harry's smile for a moment. He hadn't considered the ramifications of inviting Hermione, when she was bound to the dungeon bat.
"Uh...eight o' clock or so." Harry looked down at his shoes for a moment. "I'll see you later Hermione." and with that Harry fled, going over to Hagrid and telling him about a part of his training that involved subduing magical creatures.
Hermione turned to look at Snape. He seemed like he'd much rather be somewhere else.
"Come on then, I doubt they'll stop to eat and I'm famished." Hermione turned and smiled at Snape.
He followed her and they headed down to the kitchens for breakfast.
After a moment's hesitation at serving the infamous Hermione Granger, the houselves filled a small wicker basket with some egg sandwiches and pumpkin juice.
They decided to move their breakfast outside since the sun was shining, and there was a nice light breeze that made the perfect atmosphere for a morning picnic.
Hermione settled underneath a large tree that faced the lake, Snape sat beside her and they started in on the food.
After they'd eaten an awkward silence enveloped them. Hermione decided to break it.
"Why did you agree to meeting up with Harry later?" Hermione didn't want to sound as annoyed as she in fact was at his taking that choice away from her.
"I didn't want my presence to keep you from seeing your friends." He replied in a clipped tone that spoke of how uncomfortable he was about the whole thing.
"You know I haven't seen Ron since we broke up," Hermione threw out with a casual tone she knew Snape could see right through. "I didn't know he'd gotten a new girlfriend, I have no idea who she is." Hermione looked across the lake watching the sun shimmering on the shuffling waters. She fell into her thoughts continuing to watch the water as it danced.
She wasn't sure when exactly she fell asleep, she sort of just lost track of herself as she became consumed by the sight of the beautiful day before her.
All she knew is that one moment she was sitting with her back against the tree her eyes watching the lake and the next she was opening her eyes to a darkening sky.
This alone did not shock her though, the fact that her head was pillowed on Snape's shoulder was what nearly gave her a heart attack.
She froze as her mind tried to remember how she'd ended up leaning on him.
He must've felt her stiffen, and looked down at her, his expression unreadable.
"I didn't wish to wake you." He said softly. "I doubt I'd have been able to anyway, you were sleeping like the dead." He added in a snide voice.
Hermione sat up and tried to clear the fog that had crept into her brain.
"So you just sat here all day with me sleeping," Hermione looked at his shoulder and saw a small puddle of spit. "And drooling on you," Hermione was beyond humiliation.
Snape nodded his head, and stood up offering her a hand.
Hermione ignored his hand and pushed off the tree trunk, standing she looked toward the castle and saw that candles were beginning to burn, which meant it was after dinner.
"We missed dinner," Hermione whispered. "We'll have to miss our outing to go get food."
Snape shook his head at her.
"There is still time for you to look presentable and get food before we meet Potter," Snape told her in a calm tone.
Hermione made and agitated noise and tried to run her fingers through her hair, which only succeeded in getting them caught and further humiliating herself.
"Fine, I need to change." With that Hermione took off toward the castle. If she was going to be seeing Ron and whatever bimbo he decided to call a girlfriend she was gonna look damn good doing it.
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Hermione emerged from her room feeling like some sort of goddess. She'd put a host of different magical hair care products into her bird's nest of hair and now it lay in gorgeous spiral curls. She had on a burgundy dress that reached her knees and made her curves look fantastic. To top it off she'd slipped on her only pair of stilettos, the same pair she'd tried to seduce the ministry official in the way of Snape's freedom with.
Hermione saw a plate of finger sandwiches on the coffee table. Snape must've had an elf bring them up.
Hermione walked as gracefully as she could, heels never were easy for her to walk in, over to the pate of sandwiches and grabbed one cramming it into her mouth as fast as she could.
Not having eaten since breakfast Hermione could feel her stomach begin to consume itself.
As Hermione shoved a third sandwich into her lipstick lined mouth she heard someone cough from directly behind her.
"You know some of those are for myself," Hermione whirled around to see Snape staring at her with what appeared to be barely concealed laughter.
"Right, sorry, done." Hermione mumbled past the sandwich still in her mouth and backed away from the coffee table.
Snape walked over and snatched a sandwich.
"Are you ready?" He asked after swallowing his food.
Hermione nodded her head and began to make her way to the door.
Snape stepped in front of her and opened the door waiting till she'd crossed the threshold to follow.
The Three broomsticks was very crowded that night and it took Hermione a moment to spot Harry amongst all the people.
Hermione and Snape made their way to a large table that had been placed at the back of the main room, Hermione saw that Minerva, Hagrid, Flitwick, and Sinestra were already sitting down with drinks.
Harry spotted Hermione and Snape and cleared a spot across from him for them to sit.
"Drinks?" Harry half shouted at them, the crowd around them was almost deafening.
"Butterbeer please," Hermione shouted back.
Snape shook his head.
Harry nodded then disappeared into the crowd.
Hermione turned to see Minerva staring at her, but when Hermione went to speak she turned her head away.
Flitwick was deep in conversation with Hagrid, and Sinestra was glaring daggers at Snape.
Hermione resisted the urge to thump her head down on the table top in front of her.
Harry reappeared, but he wasn't alone.
"I found Ron," He announced.
Hermione's stomach took an unpleasant dive.
"Hi, this is Sofia Price, my fiancé." Ron came out from behind Harry with a petite blond in tow.
He smiled at their former professors, but when he saw Hermione his face turned a ghostly white.
"Hey Mione, didn't know you'd be here." He seemed at a complete loss, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously.
Then he noticed Snape, and his face turned as red as his hair.
"Snape," He chocked out.
Harry looked at Hermione apologetically.
Hermione wanted to smack Harry right upside the head.
She had been under the impression that Ron knew she was coming and was fine with it.
She also hadn't realized that in Harry's world girlfriend and fiancé were interchangeable titles.
The impulse to bash her head off the solid chunk of wood in front of her tripled.
Harry sat back down, motioning for Ron and the blond to sit beside him.
Hermione finished her butterbeer in one gulp and went to get another.
Snape stopped her and got up instead, apparently he was just as uncomfortable with this as she was. That should teach him for trying to answer for her.
"So what have you been up to Mione?" Ron asked in a tight voice.
"Nothing really, I'm the new librarian at Hogwarts." Hermione said quickly, tripping over her words a little.
"Imagine that a job filled with books, should've expected that," Harry said laughing nervously.
"Yea," Hermione agreed softly.
Snape reappeared with Hermione's second butterbeer, which Hermione downed in three gulps this time.
The conversation went on in that awkward fashion.
Hermione was beginning to feel light headed.
She looked over at Snape, who was staring at her shoes.
"Like them?" She asked him quietly, she didn't know what to say to Harry or Ron so goading Snape sounded like the best idea at the time.
"They look difficult to walk in, why would you wear them?" Snape asked back just as quietly.
"Because they look pretty, of course. I used this very pair when I got your release papers signed.
Snape's eyes sparked for a second and he seemed like he wanted to say something; but was interrupted by Hagrid who had gotten up and brought back a tray full of tiny glasses filled with firewhiskey.
Harry and Ron accepted a shot each.
Hermione looked over at Snape and he nodded his head for her to snag one for him.
She also grabbed one for herself, thinking it might help her loosen up a little and stop being so uncomfortable.
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"You could say it's my instinct,"
Hermione hadn't stopped at one shot and had downed two more.
The only people left at their table were Harry, Snape, Ron and his fiancé.
Hermione's head was light and her tongue kept moving of it's own accord.
Hermione didn't know why she was singing, but it felt like the right thing to do at the moment.
"Yes, I still have one,"
Hermione couldn't hear her own voice and didn't know how well her singing was.
From the looks on Ron and Harry's faces it wasn't very good but she wasn't able to stop.
"There's no time to second guess it, yes there are things that I'm still so afraid of,"
That blond bitch was laughing at her.
Her pale face scrunched in obvious laughter. Hermione wanted to hit her, but there was a voice in her head that kept her singing.
"But my courage is roaring like the sound of the sun, cause it's vain about it's mane and will reveal them to no one!"
Hermione finished singing that song and slumped forward too tired to keep her head up, and too angry to continue to look at the bitch's laughing face.
She felt Snape stand up and help her to her feet.
She followed him out into the dark street without once looking back.
"I spent my whole life becoming invisible,"
Hermione began to sing again in a softer voice as she stumbled down the road her arm looped through Snape's.
"It's hard to maintain and it's hard to get by,"
Leaned on Snape with all her weight.
She could feel every bit of alcohol she'd consumed and it was rushing through her veins like a burning fire.
"I don't recall fight or flight setting in, I had no introduction, I just breathe it in like the air and there's nothing to remember,"
Hermione kept losing her footing, which made their progress back to the castle painfully slow.
"There is nothing to remember, I owe you nothing, That's all I got for you,"
They were still a good way from the main gates and Hermione's vision was blurry and at times in twos.
" And you'll borrow nothing, that's what you expect of me, so you send me a lot out of thin sailor's knots and I fear beneath your radiant thoughts, my foot steps now,"
Hermione paused in her singing to laugh as she nearly fell on her face.
She felt Snape catch her with his arms around her waist, he was practically dragging her along now.
"They will echo loudly, all I owe, all I owe, strides I spent to the finish line,"
Hermione resumed singing, her voice getting softer.
"All I owe, all I owe, strides I spent to the finish line, I'll give you those."
They'd made it inside the gate and Hermione was still swaying dangerously and the more she sang the less she focused on her feet.
"You told me something that scared me to death, don't take me home I can't face that yet,"
Snape had given up trying to haul her along and had stopped to rest at the tree they had sat beneath earlier.
"And I'm ashamed that I'm barely human and I'm ashamed that I don't have a heart you can break,"
Hermione's voice was very quiet now and if it wasn't completely silent in the darkness she was sure that Snape wouldn't have been able to hear her.
"I'm just action, and at other times reaction, all I owe, all I owe, strides I spent to the finish line."
Hermione swung her head up to look at Snape who was watching her as she sat singing on the cold ground.
"All I owe, all I owe, strides I spent to the finish line, I'll give you those, just don't make me go home."
Snape slid down to sit beside her still looking into her face as she sang softly.
"Give me something to remember,"
Hermione leaned over closer to Snape.
"Give me something to remember,"
She brought her face within inches of his.
"Give me something to remember," the last words of the song were spoken in the softest of whispers, and before Hermione stopped to think she leaned in the last inch and let her lips touch his.
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*The songs are "I'm an animal" and "Nothing to remember" by Neko case.