A/N: Thank you to OTESlife, lenokiie, and roon0 for reviewing the last chapter! Now on to the next on.
Hermione sank into the plush armchair in the Head's Common Room, finding solace after the day's classes had concluded. Overwhelmed by a wave of distress, she granted herself a moment of solitude, allowing tears to flow freely. A sense of hopelessness enveloped her, exacerbated by the deliberate challenges Professor Snape had imposed on her during this seventh year. The intentional sabotage of her potion, forcing her to redo it, and the unsettling awareness he possessed regarding her most painful memories and her genuine feelings towards him weighed heavily on her heart.
Sitting quietly and shedding tears in the armchair, Hermione remained oblivious to Draco's entrance into the room. As he noticed the distressed witch, he approached the chair with uncertainty, not quite sure how to handle the situation. Gently calling out to her, he watched as her red-rimmed eyes met his. "What's wrong, Hermione?"
Swallowing her pride and feeling a twinge of embarrassment for being discovered in such a vulnerable state, she hesitated before speaking. With no one else to confide in about the situation, she cautiously said, "If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone else?" She felt a bit foolish, seeking Draco's assurance in keeping a secret when she wasn't entirely certain of his trustworthiness.
Draco nodded in understanding and pulled another armchair closer to her. Once comfortably settled, he offered Hermione a reassuring smile. "Go on then. I'm here to listen."
"Well, Professor Snape has been making this year incredibly challenging for me," she began, her eyes reflecting a sense of hopelessness. "He made me meet with him twice in the last two days. He's also deducted house points from me, and one of those instances was entirely unfair. Today, he forced me to redo my entire potion in class, even though I knew I did it correctly." A slight feeling of anger consumed her at having to redo the potion. Taking a deep breath and calming her anger, a slight blush tinted her cheeks as she continued talking to Draco. "And now, he's aware that I secretly have some feelings for him, and I think he's doing everything in his power to make sure I stop caring for him." As the words left her lips, she quickly averted her gaze, feeling a deep sense of embarrassment at her admission. She counted down the seconds waiting for Draco to react.
"Do you like my godfather?" Draco asked with curiosity. "And why?"
Feeling slightly flustered, she began to stutter. "Well, not really... I mean, I care for him. He protected us and made sacrifices." Seeing doubt in his eyes, she gritted her teeth in annoyance. Realizing there was no way out of this she reluctantly revealed the truth. "I do like him." Once the words left her mouth, a sense of dread filled her stomach. Did I just admit that I like Professor Snape?
Draco burst into laughter at the revelation. "Hermione Granger, never in a million years would I have pictured you admitting that to anyone." After his laughter subsided, a serious look crossed his face. "What caused you to have such strong feelings for him?"
Reluctantly, Hermione sighed and said, "During the war, I saw him dying in the Shrieking Shack. I did everything in my power to save him. I gave him a bezoar and force-fed him an anti-venom elixir that I created. Harry and Ron refused to let me stay and do anything more. I begged and pleaded with them to save him, but they refused. Ever since then, I just can't help it. The intense emotions I experienced in that Shack lingered, even now, despite the success of my actions. I spent weeks in tears, tormented daily by dreams of failure, watching him die repeatedly." Mortification filled her stomach as she tearfully confessed her darkest thoughts to Draco. "I realize now that Professor Snape is a hero. He did everything in his power to protect Harry and keep our school intact." After explaining herself, she whispered, "I'm a fool, aren't I?" She stood up from the chair, unshed tears filling her eyes. "Draco, I know this is hopeless. There is no solution here. Professor Snape surely despises me in every sense of the word. I am annoying, a know-it-all, and he thinks I'm an insolent little girl. I've been told this countless times, yet I can't stop the feelings I have for him. Maybe I should just give up my Seventh Year here and go home." She turned on her heel and ascended the stairs.
After observing her departure, Draco sat quietly, contemplating what he should do to remedy the situation. He didn't want her to leave; she was his friend, and as strange as it was, he liked having her around. Despite promising not to tell anybody, he couldn't sit by and allow her to just give up. He knew just who he needed to talk to. Rising from the armchair, he headed out of the common room.
He navigated his way to the dungeons, hoping that his godfather would be available for a conversation. Upon reaching the classroom, he knocked on the door, waiting for it to be answered. The door swung open by magic, and he stepped into the room hesitantly. His gaze fell upon his godfather, who was diligently scratching away at parchment on his desk.
After a full minute had passed, Professor Snape looked up, acknowledging Draco's presence. Setting down his quill, he allowed the door to close. "Draco, is there something I can assist you with this evening? As you know, I am very busy."
Uncertain about what to do or say, Draco continued standing, searching for the right words. Finally, with slight reluctance, he sank into the available chair in front of the desk and began to address his godfather. "Godfather, I am here to discuss a problem," he spoke slowly, hoping to avoid any potential anger. A brief moment of silence hung in the air. Draco rolled his eyes, wishing his godfather would grasp the implied message. Realizing he needed to be more direct, he inwardly cringed and spoke up, "I know that Hermione has been bothering you."
Professor Snape fixed Draco with a glare and questioned, "Why does that concern you?"
An overwhelming sense of protection washed over Draco. "Because she's my friend," he retorted. "She's the only one I have left."
Snape's glare intensified, becoming even more potent. "What has she told you?" he demanded. Of course, that girl can't keep her mouth shut.
Frowning at the memory of Hermione's words, Draco replied, "Enough to know that you have been treating her horribly. She said you've deliberately been making this year difficult for her. She thinks you hate her guts. It's taking a toll on her, and she's on the verge of leaving Hogwarts."
"Maybe she should," he muttered with annoyance. Despite his words, an internal sense of remorse nagged at him. He didn't want her to leave Hogwarts.
Choosing to keep Hermione's dark secrets to himself for the time being Draco added gently, "I think you have gone overboard with the way you have treated her."
Feeling a twinge of regret, Professor Snape rose from the desk and headed to the door.
Draco also stood up and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Well, I have to fix this, don't I? I'm heading to your common room," Snape replied, a faint grimace on his face. Never in a million years would I find myself purposely seeking out Ms. Granger to apologize, yet here I am doing it. The two men took the trek back to the Head Common Room in silence.
Meanwhile, Hermione lay on her bed as tears continued to fall from her cheeks. She didn't want to leave Hogwarts, but she also couldn't stand the way Professor Snape was treating her. He was making her miserable. She got up from the bed and took out her suitcase, feeling defeated. She began to pack all her belongings.
Draco and Professor Snape entered the Common Room. Draco yelled up the stairs, "Hermione, can you come down here?"
Hermione, in the middle of folding one of her shirts, gently set it down into the suitcase. She stopped packing and hesitantly descended the stairs, not in the mood to talk. "What do you want Draco? I'm not in the mood for…" She stopped midsentence when she saw Professor Snape standing next to Draco. She dropped her gaze down to the floor and began to fidget. Why did he bring him here? I told him not to disclose this to anyone.
"Draco, please head up to your room. I wish to speak with Ms. Granger alone," Professor Snape demanded.
Draco hesitantly headed for the stairs. As he passed Hermione, he gave her a reassuring smile. Once Draco was gone, Snape cast a silencing charm around the room so his godson could not eavesdrop.
Hermione hesitantly raised her eyes from the floor and looked at her Professor. Her eyes were still wet from before. Swallowing nervously, she stayed rooted to the spot, afraid to move any closer. The silence was killing her.
The silence was broken when Professor Snape spoke first. "Look, I don't want to be standing here all night. I came here because Draco doesn't want you to do something foolish."
She flinched at his words. Foolish? She didn't think she was being foolish. In fact, she thought that leaving would be the right thing to do in this situation.
"I can see you did not like me calling your actions foolish, but they are. You would just give up on your NEWTS all because of my attitude towards you?" he asked critically. "I thought you were the brightest witch of your age. Hardly."
His mockery angered her. She clenched her fists tightly and said, "What choice do I have? You are making this year unbearable for me. You won't leave me alone."
The twinge of regret that had pricked him earlier now intensified at the sorrowful expression she wore. He clenched his fist, grappling internally with what to do next. Feeling his softer side win, he took a few steps toward the young witch. "Fine, I'm sorry for my behavior. Now will you stop this idea of leaving so we can move on with the rest of the school year?"
"Why do you care if I stay or go?" she asked boldly. "You hate me remember?"
Professor Snape was taken aback by her question. He didn't know how to respond because, deep down, he didn't want her to leave. God damn it. Why can't she just accept my apology and move on? As I said, insufferable. Biting back his retort, he decided to go the safer route. He was not willing to admit that he did care if she left. "Because you are Draco's only friend this year. He cares a great deal for you, and I don't want him to not have anybody to talk to." With a wince, he added, "I don't hate you."
Hermione pursed her lips in response. "You have a funny way of showing it." Slowly she contemplated his words, taking a quick peek at the stairs, knowing he was right. She turned back to her Professor and said, "I suppose you are right about that. Draco has been a great friend to me, and I care about him too." She started to feel uncomfortable, knowing that he had convinced her to stay at Hogwarts with just one sentence. Feeling angry now, she spat at him, "So, are you going to continue to torture me then? When's my next detention?" She expected him to take points away from her. She expected him to yell and begin to patronize, but she didn't care. She was sick of his attitude, but what he did next surprised her.
He took a seat in one of the armchairs and made himself comfortable, motioning to the chair closest to him for her to sit down.
She didn't understand the purpose of him staying any longer. She had already agreed to stay for Draco's sake, but now he wanted to continue speaking to her. Reluctantly, she made her legs move toward the chair. Once seated, she did not dare lock eyes with him. Hoping that a hole would open up and swallow her whole so that she was not forced to continue this conversation.
Sensing her inner turmoil, he phrased his next question very carefully. "Ms. Granger, what do you expect of me for the remainder of the school year?" The words hung in the air for a second, and Hermione took the time to analyze what to say next.
She was surprised by his question. Her heart longed for him to acknowledge her brilliance, to see the woman she had become over the years, and to like her as much as she liked him. Pushing away her treacherous thoughts, she decided on half-truths, praying that he would not detect any lies. "I expect you to treat me like any of your other students. I just want to finish up the year, excel in all my subjects, and then I can move on and pursue whatever career I want." Now that she had said all that, she felt a slight bit of boldness consuming her. She lifted her eyes from the floor and briefly stared into his. With a sharp edge to her tone, she continued, "I do not want any more detentions, I do not want you to continue to take points away from me, and I do not want you to pry into my personal thoughts."
Professor Snape smirked at her, amused by her sudden boldness. That's the insufferable witch I know. She never goes down without a fight. His black eyes briefly scanned her face. Being a spy his whole life, he could easily read her like a book. She didn't have to say the words aloud for him to know that deep down she wanted his attention. He continued to smirk at her, aware that his presence so close to her unnerved her but also excited her at the same time. Minerva's words from the previous night echoed in his mind. Is it really that bad to allow someone to see you differently? Now, seated alone with her, he acknowledged that, indeed, he desired her to view him differently. Knowing that he was alone, and no one could hear him but her, his voice lowered a slight octave, and he said, "I have known you for years Hermione, and I know that's not all you want."
She tried not to react to his words, but her face betrayed her. Instantly, her cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and her eyes found the hardwood floor beneath her. Angry tears welled up in her eyes, feeling like he was toying with her. She gritted her teeth in agitation. "Why are you doing this to me?" she whispered. "I thought we were done playing this game."
Caught off guard by her reaction, he recovered quickly. Standing up from the chair, he headed towards the exit. Before leaving, he turned back to Hermione. "When you find your confidence Hermione and you know what you want, come find me. Just a warning, I don't like to be kept waiting. Until then, I'll see you in class tomorrow. Don't be late."