"That still doesn't answer my question," Harry said as his hands tightened into fists, "I don't like him and you know that."
"You are so dramatic, Harry," Hermione folded her arms and glared at him. She couldn't understand why he didn't like Professor Snape. There were plenty of times that he had saved Harry's life but he couldn't see past him being a Death Eater.
Harry rolled his eyes, "So you're not bothered at all by the things he's done?"
"He's doing them for a reason, Harry," Hermione put her hands on her hips.
"What could that reason be? Please do enlighten me," Harry spoke it sarcastically with anger.
"He's in the order, Harry," Hermione paused, "he's trying to help us defeat Voldemort," she said the last part quietly.
"Ok, but what about all the other things? The cruel things that he has done?! What about them? I know you're more intelligent than this.." Harry replied with the same angry tone. "Why are you suddenly so.. understanding of him? What's going on in your head?"
"I'm just trying to put myself in his shoes," Hermione shifted her eyes away from Harry.
"You can't put yourself in his shoes, you're not him... So don't. He doesn't deserve forgiveness or understanding! He has done horrible things, you know that!" Harry raised his voice, which caused people turn to see them fighting. "I'm done with this," Harry put his hands in his pockets and stormed out of the Great Hall.
Hermione knew that she was being biased but she tried to see the good in everyone. Maybe it was because she had a crush on him or that she had made out with him. She didn't know how to tell Harry that she believed that Professor Snape was doing what he'd been doing for a reason. She had no evidence and there was no way he would believe her now.
It had been almost an hour so Hermione decided to make her way back to the dungeons to meet up with Professor Snape. She wondered if he would stand her up again. She hoped he wouldn't. She looked around to see if anyone was watching her and when the coast was clear she left. As she turned the corner she was stopped.
"Miss Hermione, what are you up to tonight? Shouldn't you be at the Halloween Dance?" Peeves smiled a most devilish smile.
"I'm just walking about the corridors, Peeves," Hermione folded her arms and watched as Peeves moved closer to her.
"The Gryffindor common room is not in the dungeons, why are you going to the dungeons?" his face almost demonic.
"That's why I said I was going on a walk about the corridors," Hermione paused, "What do you want? You already know where I am going, I am not playing these games with you."
"Back to see a raven-haired man huh?"
Hermione exhaled and bit the inside of her mouth.
"Blimey," Hermione turned to see Fred and George, "we've been looking for you two everywhere."
"Well, Miss Hermione here was just going down to the dungeons to give," Hermione cut Peeves off mid-sentence.
"I was trying to find you guys," Hermione coughed, "To do the prank with you and Peeves."
"Yes, indeed," the twins smiled.
"But why me?" Hermione looked between the three.
"Well, we need someone with a big brain to help us pull an amazing prank on Umbridge," the boys smiled, "we would like to do it when the fifth years are taking their O.W.L.S."
"During our O.W.L.S.?" She questioned, "Aren't you worried about getting expelled?"
"Not at all, love," Fred smiled, "there won't even be a trace that you were everinvolved."
"What do you need me to do?" Hermione smiled.
"We need you to use that big brain of yours," George smiled, "we need help making some potions that will blow up like muggle fireworks. You know what those are right?"
Hermione laughed, "Yes I do."
"Oh good," Fred said, "I'm glad because we didn't want to explain it to you. We always have to explain to Dad about what muggle things are. You'd think we didn't know much about them but they sure are fascinating."
"Yes, they are," Hermione didn't want to bring up that she didn't find them as fascinating as she lived there for the first half of her life. She would have much rather to have been born pure-blood or at least half-blood. Being muggle born was not the ideal thing.
"Can you help us?"
Hermione smiled, "Yes we can start making them in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."
"A girls' bathroom?"
"Blimey," Fred said.
Hermione laughed, thinking back to the time in her second year when she made thepolyjuice potion with Harry and Ron.
"We'll get together soon," the twins smiled and walked away leaving Peeves alone with Hermione.
"So, what are you going to do with, Professor Snape?" Peeves smirked.
"Nothing," Hermione said, "he just said he needed to show me something."
"I'm sure," Peeves said.
"Miss Granger, Peeves," they both stoppedtalking and looked around to see Professor Snape.
"Professor Snape," Peeves smiled, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.
"Now what could you two be up to?" Professor Snape demanded.
"Nothing," Peeves cackled.
"You may go, Peeves," Professor Snape saidsternly as he glared at the poltergeist.
Peeves let out a trademark cackle and flew away leaving Hermione and Professor Snape alone.
"I thought you got lost," Professor Snape smirked.
"No need to worry, Professor, I wouldn't blow you off as some other people do," Hermione walked past Professor Snape whose face went from a smirk to his trademarked scowl.
Hermione opened the door to the potions classroom and noticed something out of the ordinary. It was like a bird bath, it was a wide shallow dish on the top, filled with a silvery substance. She looked at Professor Snape with her eyebrow cocked.
"I know what this is," she smiled, "it's a Pensieve, a very rare and powerful magical item. I read in a book that you forget the memory you put it in there."
"That's a lie," Professor Snape said, "you mustn't believe everything you read in a book, Miss Granger. Regurgitating books will be the death of you. You don't learn everything from them, Granger, you musthave life experiences as well."
Hermione nodded.
"Now, I did want to meet up with you after the astronomy tower but I was summoned," he scratched his forearm.
"On a holiday?" Hermione furrowed her brows.
He sighed, "The Dark Lord does not care if it is a holiday or not. Do you know what today is?"
"It's October 31st, 1995," Hermione said.
"What happened October 31st, 1981?"
"Harry's parents were killed by Voldemort that night," Hermione scratched her head. She looked at her Professor whose face twitched as he ran his fingers through his black hair.
"Don't," he paused, "say that name."
"I'm sorry, Professor," Hermione said, "I didn't realize it would bother you."
"That name fills me with rage, fear, guilt, and disgust," his eyes darted to the ground as his hand tangled through his black locks.
"I'm sorry, sir," Hermione said. She never liked saying the name of he-who-shall-not-be-named but she figured she would try it since Harry had always called him that.
"You didn't know," his head shot up to look at the girl. His eyes looked glossy almost like he was going to cry, but he didn't. "I was summoned by the Dark Lord because he wanted to celebrate the demise of the Potters which is laughable because," he paused, "well you know, Potter survived and killed him, but this will show you that I was gone because of that," he grabbed his wand and put the tip of it to his temple, where he started to pull out a long white strand from itand placed it in the pensieve.
He looked at Hermione who was almost in awe. "You are amazed by such little things," he said.
Hermione giggled.
"Now put your face into the pensieve," he said as he waved his wand in the pensieve to make the memory come to life.
Hermione took a deep breath and put her face into the pensieve. It felt strange as she dove in, it was like water but she could still breathe.
Severus started to make his way to the potions classroom when his forearm started to burn. Why must he summon me at this moment, he thought. Severus shrugged his shoulders and disapparated to the hideout that the Dark Lord currently occupied. It was in the middle of nowhere and he'd most likely took it from muggles. The house was big but was riddled with muggle items. At least the Dark Lord didn't call him when he was deep inside a wet canal. Severus was mad but this is what happened when you made bad decisions when you were younger.
"Ah, Severus, I am so glad you made it," Lucius was gone before the event had even started. He had a flask in one hand and another special drink in the other. "Would you like a drink?" Lucius' hot breath filled Severus' crooked nose.
"You know I have been sober for five years, Lucius, we have talked about this," Severus retorted.
"You are no fun," Lucius walked away instantly.
"Not like that wanker would remember," Severus mumbled. He folded his arms as he watched Wormtail bring in some terrified people. Muggles. Severus gulped as he watched the Dark Lord walk in.
"Wormtail," he smiled, "you have brought the muggles. What shall we do with them?" He yelled.
"Kill them!" Fenrir Greyback yelled.
"Strangle them!" Yaxley also intoxicated yelled.
"As you wish!" The Dark Lord held up his wand and levitated them into the air. Severus gulped, he hated seeing innocent people get killed. He could never get used to watching people get murdered. Even if he had killed many people himself and watched as they died. It never got easier. The Dark Lord would torture you if you looked away so Severus put on a fake smile as he watched the muggles be murdered by the Dark Lord and his snake. Oh how he wanted to kill Nagini, she always looked at him like he was a meal.
"Avada Kedavra!" The Dark Lord laughed as the muggles fell to the ground. Two small children, a father, and a wife. "Nagini, eat."
Severus gulped as he watched the snake devour the small children.
"Severus, my boy," the Dark Lord smiled, "so happy to have you here to celebrate the day I destroyed the Potters."
Severus wanted to interject but knew it was best to keep your mouth shut.
"Yes, my Lord, you did great destruction that day."
"You should have seen the look on their faces when I was about to kill them. Such a rush, Severus."
Severus nodded, "I sure it was a rush," he clenched his jaw as he spoke.
"Will you stay for the activity?" He asked.
Severus gulped, "Not tonight, my Lord, I must get back to Hogwarts."
"Next time, my boy, I have someone that you may want to partake in," he rubbed his hands as he walked away.
Severus gulped and disapparated back to Hogwarts.
Hermione pulled herself out of the Pensieve and wiped her face with her sleeve. "What is the activity?"
Severus cleared his throat and tugged on his collar. Hermione could see that he was uncomfortable with her seeing this. She was also uncomfortable with what she had just seen.
"Um," he paused, "It's an activity that I'd rather not participate in as it deals with rape," he looked away again. Hermione could tell this wasn't a subject he wanted to talk about.
"Do they do that 'activity' a lot?" Hermione folded her arms as she looked at her Professor. She had never seen him so squirrelly and uncomfortable.
He nodded, "A lot," he turned around and walked over to his chair. Sitting down he crossed his legs and started to grade papers.
"Do you believe me?"
Hermione nodded, "I don't know if I needed to see everything though."
"Imagine how I feel," he snarled.
"Is it muggles?" She bluntly asked.
He cleared his throat, "Muggles, muggle-borns."
Hermione's eyes went wide at the muggle-borns but she felt it made sense since the Dark Lord wanted to rid the world of muggles, muggle-borns, and half-bloods.
"I think you should go," Professor Snape said, "it's almost past curfew."
"But what about?" Hermione frowned.
"Another time," he said, "I'm not in the mood."
"I can make you in the mood," Hermione started to walk closer to him when he put his hand up.
"I told you I'm not in the mood," he barked, "I'll let you know when I am."
"And when will that be?"
"You'll see," he smirked.