Hermione was surprised to be contacted by Professor Snape for a meeting the very next day. However, she was even more pleased about it, because after a good night's sleep, her longing for him had already flared up again at breakfast. As had been the case the week before, the Headmaster had not been present at the teacher's table at any of the meal times, whereupon Hermione suspected that he was looking for clues about Horcruxes.
She still hadn't had a chance to show him her find in one of the historical Daily Prophets and she was already eager to hear what he had to report when he returned to Hogwarts. She let her eyes wander around the Great Hall and grinned at the many new couples who had found each other on Valentine's Day. She waited outside the Potions classroom that evening as Professor Snape had requested.
"Good evening. I thought you might be able to help me brew the Wolfsbane Potion," he said after opening the door for her from inside.
"Good evening! But we've already discussed that, Professor! Are you sure you need my help?" she asked, grinning mischievously. Professor Snape raised an eyebrow.
"You're right. My apologies," he said, lips curled as he made a move to close the door. Hermione stormed through without another glance at him and a grin spread across his face.
"Thought as much," he said, magically closing the door behind Hermione.
Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and bit down on it, smiling teasingly. Of course, she had immediately realised what a good opportunity the monthly Wolfsbane Potion for Professor Lupin presented. Since she had made the potion with him before, they could have a good chat while they brewed it and if anyone happened to be looking for something in the Potions classroom in the evening, all they would find was a one-to-one lesson from Professor Snape.
"Thank you for inviting me," Hermione said as she put her bag down and first set about gathering the necessary ingredients in the supply cupboard and levitating them to the desk.
"Miss Granger," Professor Snape said as she was about to start lighting the fire under the cauldron. She turned and was embraced by Professor Snape. There it was again, that wonderful feeling of being protected from everything in the world. "I wanted to thank you again for yesterday," he said, letting go of her.
Hermione shook her head with a smile to signal that he didn't need to thank her again and stood on her tiptoes, but was gently pushed back down to the floor by his hands on her shoulders.
"Not here," he whispered and she made a pout.
"But a hug with a student is okay?" she asked and an embarrassed expression flew across Professor Snape's face, making Hermione giggle. She turned on the spot and his hands, which had been on her arms earlier, lightly brushed her chest, giving Hermione a little shiver. He immediately withdrew his hands and Hermione, smiling, went forward to the table to actually start making the potion now. As they both cut herbs, there was a silence broken only by the sound of the plants being cut up. Hermione finally took heart and tried to strike up a conversation. "What do you like to do when you're not giving lessons?" she asked without looking up from her Asphodel roots.
"Brewing potions with you," he replied and Hermione couldn't stop a giggle.
"Correct answer, but I meant it," she said, glancing over at him.
"I meant it too," he said with a shrug, but his eyes, still fixed on the bicorn horn he was grating into a fine powder, betrayed him. "I thought you'd already seen everything?" he asked, looking at Hermione with raised eyebrows.
"Not everything of course! The structure of your mind in its visual manifestation allowed me to identify the important memories quite well," she said, without looking up from her Asphodel roots. Only when she heard no more sounds from Professor Snape's grater did she look over at him.
"Visual manifestation?" he asked, and Hermione realised what he had stumbled upon.
"Every wizard's or witches' mind is unique. Everyone has their own manifestation. When I enter the mind, I can see that manifestation and move around in it," she explained and Professor Snape looked into her eyes, spellbound. He looked fascinated and Hermione realised what question was on the tip of his tongue. "Your manifestation is a long street with little side streets and alleys branching off of it. Your memories are the houses that sit along those streets and alleys. The closer a house is to the main street, the more weight the memory seems to have on your life."
His mouth remained open for a few seconds and Hermione couldn't blame him. He was an experienced legilimentor and nothing she had just said had anything in common with classic legilimency.
"It allowed you to look at the most important memories," he said and Hermione nodded.
"And they weren't too few. It was pleasant to move around in your mind, it's very intuitive and tidy despite its complexity."
"Thank you, I think?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, not sure if she had complimented him and Hermione nodded, chuckling.
"I was also focusing on your past before the fall of Voldemort, until you were recruited by Professor Dumbledore," she said, raising her eyebrows when he grimaced at the sound of the name. She refrained from commenting on his reaction though. Besides Harry and Professor Dumbledore, she didn't know anyone who didn't have a similar reaction when it was spoken. "So that's why I don't know what you like to do in your spare time, other than give me private lessons," she said with a smile, getting back to her original question.
"I'm not particularly active, to be honest. I prefer to sit in front of the fire with an interesting book and a glass of wine," he said as Hermione reached for the bowl of wolfsbane and began to crush it in the mortar.
"But that's not all, is it? For instance, I know you enjoy Quidditch more than you'd like to show on the outside," she said, hearing an amused snort beside her.
"You're right. Apparently, I can't hide anything from you," he said and this time Hermione snorted.
"It was obvious that you were better at flying than the average wizard who learned to fly in first class at Hogwarts. However, I found nothing in your memories of Hogwarts to suggest that you enjoyed flying when you were young."
"In fact, I didn't discover the game for myself until after I became a teacher. You were paying attention there," he said and Hermione smiled to herself. "I loathed Quidditch in my school days, mostly because of Potter," he said a little sourly, but as he continued, his voice was filled with what passed for enthusiasm by Professor Snape's standards. "I was mainly looking for a way to get involved in sports and after the first game I attended as a teacher, the spark ignited," he told her, and Hermione beamed at him.
"That's wonderful!" she said, full of joy that they had another common area of interest besides books, potions and charms.
"I haven't had much time to fly since last year, though, as my time has been demanded elsewhere," he said with a sideways glance at Hermione, who was looking at him frowningly.
"A moment ago you said you liked brewing potions with me," she said, playfully upset, putting her hands on her hips. He just shrugged and Hermione couldn't stop her giggling any longer. She really enjoyed talking to him so casually and returning his sarcastic manner.
"Are you supporting a league team?" asked Hermione after she had added the mortared Wolfsbane to the cauldron. Professor Snape sighed.
"The Chudley Cannons," he said and Hermione couldn't help laughing. Not because she wanted to make fun of him for supporting one of the teams always fighting against relegation, but because the Cannons and their supporters were known for their cheerful optimism, which did not match Professor Snape at all.
"Please don't take this the wrong way, I just didn't expect you to like the Cannons," she said as his gaze darkened. "But it's to your credit that you don't support any of the teams that are only fighting for the top two spots anyway."
"In what way?" he asked after his face relaxed a little again.
"It's like life, if all you ever do is win, you can't handle defeat," Hermione said and Professor Snape raised his eyebrows.
"Very philosophical," he said and Hermione giggled. "I hadn't thought of it that way, thank you. What do you like to do when you're not making the demands on a student your age look like a ridiculous homework assignment?" asked Professor Snape wryly.
"Brewing potions with you," Hermione said, giggling as he rolled his eyes. "I'm as serious as you are," she said, to show him that there was also a lot of truth in her answer, which was obviously spoken as a joke. He looked at her with a somewhat uncertain smile but quickly turned his attention back to the potion, which now had to be specially stirred at various intervals. "But to sum it up: Magic," she said, circling her index finger in front of her to underline her words, whereupon the scoop with which he had just stirred the potion by hand moved of its own accord. He turned to her and watched her circling finger for a few seconds.
"That never ceases to fascinate me," he said, looking into her eyes. Hermione got a slight chill as he looked so intently into her eyes. "For you to do what very few of the great wizards and witches have ever managed is nothing more than a wave of your hand," he said reverently and Hermione could feel the blood rush to her head. He continued to follow her circling finger with his gaze and seemed lost in his own thoughts. Hermione watched him in silence, eyeing the thoughtful wizard. He woke from his daydream as Hermione extinguished the fire under the cauldron with a wave of her hand and conjured a few bowls with her other hand.
"You've made significant progress in conjuration spells," he said with an appreciative look, and Hermione could tell he wanted to distract from the fact that he'd spent so long lost in his own thoughts watching her circling hand.
"Would it be all right if we had another cup of tea after you've brought Professor Lupin the potion?" asked Hermione, trying as best she could to muffle the hopeful tone in her voice. He looked uncertainly into her eyes for a moment, but then nodded and waved his wand, whereupon one of the bowls rose and dipped into the potion. Once it was filled, he let it float in the air in front of him.
"You can wait for me in my chambers," he said, waving his wand again, whereupon a door appeared behind the teacher's desk, which until a second ago had been a dark wall. Hermione looked at him in amazement. "You are now part of my ward. The door leads to my office and my chambers," he said as casually as if explaining to her how the levitation charm worked.
"Thank you," Hermione said, eyes wide at this clear sign of his trust. He smiled and without another word turned to take the potion to Professor Lupin as freshly as possible. Hermione made the cauldron disappear along with the hearth with a wave of her hand and cleaned the worktops and floor in front of the table with another spell before heading for the door.
It led directly into Professor Snape's office, although from the outside it was a whole corridor away from the Potions classroom. She settled down in the chair in front of his desk, which was meant for visitors, and glanced nervously around the room as she waited for him.
"Here you are! I thought you'd be waiting in my chambers," he said in surprise after poking his head through the door leading to his living room a quarter of an hour later.
"I did not want to invade your privacy," she said, and Professor Snape looked a little taken aback for a moment, but then thanked her and held the door open for her. He conjured up her much-loved ginger tea and settled himself on the couch opposite her, while she made herself comfortable cross-legged on the old armchair.
She watched him suspiciously, for ever since he had picked her up after he had been to Professor Lupin's office, a melancholy expression had appeared on his face. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as he kept avoiding her gaze.
"Don't start that again," she said with a cutting tone in her voice and his black eyes flew up to her. He managed to prevent a guilty look, but Hermione thought she knew what he had been about to say.
"The risks are too great," he said with a desperate look on his face as if begging her to understand him, but Hermione shook her head. "You must understand, Miss Granger! If it ever came out that you were more to me than a student ..."
"Professor Dumbledore would never ..." began Hermione, but an angry expression on his face made her stop.
"Dumbledore is the least of my worries! I can't take the risk of the Dark Lord finding out about you," he clarified and Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. She felt a little ashamed at having thought only of her safe surroundings at Hogwarts. She didn't miss the way he ran his hand over his left forearm.
"I'm sorry," she said and stood up. She walked around the coffee table and sat facing him cross-legged beside him. She motioned for him to sit sideways on the couch as well so they were facing each other. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking far enough," she apologised again. "May I see it?"
Professor Snape's head jerked back in surprise and he looked at her questioningly, but Hermione had already taken his hand and nodded at him. Hesitantly, he pushed up the hem of his robe to expose his arm. The Dark Mark, an obscene skull with a tongue in the shape of a snake, on his arm was slightly paler than in the memory Hermione had witnessed him receive it. She felt a thunderbolt go through her body as she caught sight of the mark. A brief moment of anger that Hermione didn't understand. However, the feeling was gone as quickly as it had come.
"It's getting stronger, isn't it?" she asked, and he nodded, lips pressed together. "Does it hurt?" she asked, stroking it gently with her free hand, which made him flinch briefly. Then he relaxed a little, though, and allowed Hermione to put her hand on the mark.
"It only hurts if you don't answer the call," he said in a brittle voice and Hermione looked him in the eye. She gently stroked her palm over his forearm, driven by the expression on his face, which showed, just like Sirius Black, that physical contact was balm to his battered soul after decades of abstinence. She could see the conflict in his eyes. On the one hand, he didn't want her to let go of him; on the other, he wanted to reinforce his previous statement.
"I must not expose you to this danger," he said, pulling his arm back, but Hermione gripped his hand tightly and continued to stroke his forearm with the other.
"I know. I'm aware of it and it moves me, but there's something you don't know," Hermione said, loosening her grip again after he had given up. "I am aware that there will be a second war. I am also aware that you will have one of the most difficult roles in this war. But I will also have a major role in this war. Or did you think that I was taking all these private lessons to become a junior minister?"
"So it really is true," he said quietly, more to himself than to Hermione.
"Dumbledore showed you the prophecy?" she asked and he nodded curtly.
"But it's only a prophecy! None of it should be taken literally. You've seen for yourself what following a prophecy can do," he said and now tears shimmered in his eyes. Hermione squeezed his hand tightly and looked into his eyes, smiling.
"It's more than just the prophecy. You can see for yourself, just a moment," she said, briefly putting herself in a trance to retrieve the memory from the Pensieve. It only took about a second in reality. Back in the room, she tapped her temple with her index finger and closed her eyes again. It took him a few seconds to realise what Hermione was getting at, but eventually he said quietly, "Legilimens."
When they arrived back in the sitting room after the memory of her encounter with Cathubodua through Lancelot, Professor Snape sat gazing in silence for a long time at his hand, still held by her much smaller, delicate hands.
"You see? I have accepted this gift. I will fight. You are not alone," she said confidently, waiting for him to look her in the eye. It took a while before he did. "I appreciate that you want to protect me, but do it by helping me control my magic rather than keeping me away from you," she said and he swallowed once. It took a while before he finally nodded.
"That still doesn't change the fact that you are my student, though. And you know what the rules are for that."
"Rules are not unbreakable vows," she replied, which made him chuckle.
"If I couldn't see the crest on your robe, I'd easily guess you were a Gryffindor."
"I could say the same thing. Houses don't have solid, impregnable walls," Hermione said, though she realised he was only being serious to a degree. He nodded and looked down at their joined hands.
"You remind me a lot of Lily," he said, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. He looked up at her with a somewhat anxious look.
"That's the most beautiful compliment you can give me," Hermione said, having to fight hard not to be taken by her emotion. She squeezed his hand and looked into his relieved eyes, beaming. "I know what all this is taking out of you. But so does it for me. I'm a teenager for crying out loud!" she said and now she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She quickly tried to regain her composure and continued speaking. "I can feel it. I've had a crush on you before, but it was nothing compared to what I feel today. Your magic draws me to you when I am close to you. Since you saved my life, there is an even clearer magical connection between us and I am certain you feel it too," she said, making her tears disappear with a wave of her hand.
"Yes," he said tersely.
"Then all I ask is that you give us a chance. Maybe at some point, you'll find me annoying or ug..."
"You're perfect," he interrupted her, "so perfect it scares me."
"I'm not! You take that back!" she shouted loudly, slapping his leg with her hand, which was within her reach. He looked at her in surprise as she glared angrily at him. "No one is perfect. Imperfection is what makes us human! And least of all am I perfect!"
His lips quivered and a second later he laughed out loud. Hermione looked at him with wide eyes, perplexed. It was the first time she had ever seen him laugh. She had virtually witnessed the man's entire life in his memories, but never had such a hearty and honest laugh been heard from him. The longer he laughed, the more infectious it became and Hermione finally couldn't stop a giggle.
"Thank you, that felt good," he finally said more cheerfully than she had ever seen him.
"Will you give me a chance?" asked Hermione seriously and hopefully. He looked her in the eye and his expression also became a little more serious again, but it didn't lose the warmth it had gained from laughter.
"Do I have a choice?" he asked, amused, and Hermione shook her head with a grin. He nodded with a sigh and gasped as he was knocked backwards for the second day in a row. This time, however, Hermione beamed at him with bright eyes and kissed him before he could even think of resisting. As soon as her soft lips touched his, any desire to fight back was gone and he closed his eyes.
A wild tingle ran through Hermione's body and she had to restrain herself to keep it to the kiss. He cupped her cheek with one hand and gently stroked it with his thumb. She never wanted the moment to end. The kiss was unlike any kiss she had had before in her life. She could feel her magic connecting with his and exploding in fireworks. Breathing heavily, she looked down at him as they pulled away from each other.
"That was incredible," she said, feeling the blood rush to her face at those rather plump words. He just nodded, however, and pulled her back down to him. It was quite a while before they straightened up again and looked at each other shyly. Hermione grabbed his hand again, spreading her fingers to intertwine their hands, and looked long into his eyes. They lingered for some time in a silence in which only the soft crackling of the fireplace could be heard.
"I want this more than anything in my life," she finally said, raising their still joined hands to emphasise her point. He looked long into her eyes and Hermione could still see the fear and uncertainty in them, but finally, he drew her hand up to his face and gently kissed her fingers.
"There are many limitations," he said finally.
"I know. I'll put up with them all."
"No one can know about this."
"Obviously."
"No one must suspect anything."
"Also obvious."
"No risks in public."
"Okay. Anything else?"
"No sex before marriage," he said with an expressionless face and Hermione gasped in surprise.
"Merlin," he said, looking at her with wide eyes.
"What?" she asked indignantly, looking at him suspiciously.
"You should have seen your face! Like I told you someone in your family died!" he said with raised eyebrows. Hermione only now realised that it had obviously been a joke and raised her hands in front of her face in shame.
"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate," he said and Hermione shook her head with her face still covered. She really hadn't wanted to broach that subject so quickly now. She spread her fingers slightly to catch a glimpse of his reaction and immediately closed them again when she saw his amused face. Finally, she lowered her hands when she saw no other way out. Pressing her lips together, she looked up at him, which made him chuckle again. However, she could also tell he looked a little unsure himself.
"I mean, you're ..." he began, but Hermione interrupted him.
"Only fourteen? Didn't you tell me how mature I am for my age? Bit weird that the number matters again now!" she said confidently and now it was he who was blushing. He scratched the back of his head. Obviously, he hadn't intended to take the conversation in that direction either.
"You certainly are. All I wanted to say is that I won't push you into anything, nor do I expect or demand anything in that regard. I want you to internalise that."
"And I don't want you to feel pressured into saying all that. But I still appreciate it, thank you. If it happens, it happens. I don't want you to feel compelled to hold back. I didn't want to bring up the subject this early, but maybe that's not such a bad thing. I may only be 14 years old, but that doesn't mean I'm still a child. If you dig deeper, you might find out more than you would have expected."
This left Professor Snape truly speechless for the first time that evening, even to the degree that his mouth was slightly open. He also seemed a little confused at Hermione's last suggestion, but she left it at that. Her features relaxed again and she took advantage of his uncertainty by playing girlishly with her free hand on one of her braids and looking at him innocently.
"Does that mean I'm your girlfriend?" she asked, tilting her head. He looked at her in surprise for a moment, then looked down at their still intertwined hands.
"As long as you don't call me your boyfriend?" he said with a suspicious look, and Hermione realised that he didn't like that term at all.
"How about Severus?" she asked, smiling at him, which caused his features to soften. He nodded.
"You don't have to call me your girlfriend either. In fact, you can't either, unless we're alone. But I'd be happy for you to call me Hermione," she said, recognising in his gaze that he wasn't exactly thrilled about it. "I trust you. I'm absolutely sure it would never slip out."
"All right. Hermione," he said and she didn't know why, but when he addressed her by her first name for the first time, a small shiver ran down her spine. She leaned forward and pulled him into a kiss that made his magic and hers sparkle again.
"Thank you for your trust," she said and gave him another kiss on the tip of his nose before standing up. She checked that her robe was on properly and glanced over her shoulder at him. "Good night, Professor Snape. See you in Potions tomorrow."
"Good night, Miss Granger," he replied with a slight smile on his lips, watching her go as she pulled out the Marauder's Map and a moment later disappeared through the door into his office and then into the corridor.
The next day, as Hermione dropped into her regular seat next to Susan in the Potions classroom, she could feel her pulse quicken a little. As Severus let his gaze wander around the class, his eyes lingered on Hermione for a split second, but by the time she had blinked once, his eyes had moved on. It was turning into a perfectly normal lesson and Hermione drew hope from the fact that she managed to answer Severus' questions completely unflustered, although her heartbeat quickened again at his gaze.
What struck Hermione, however, was the fact that he didn't circle around Harry like a bat for the entire lesson as he usually did, harassing him. Instead, he merely wrinkled his nose once as he passed his cauldron and gave his potion a quiet 'mediocre', which was close to praise for his usual behaviour towards Harry. It almost seemed as if he didn't want to bury their open hostility altogether right away, but probably showed less interest in commenting nastily on his every move. It pleased Hermione that, for this lesson at least, he seemed to be wearing a mask with slightly rounder edges.
He seemed to notice it himself by the end of the lesson, however, and gave them a whole mountain of homework, causing most of the students to flee the dungeon with their usual grudges. Hermione, for whom a few sheets of parchment more or less made no difference - especially with her new quill - was not impressed by this and followed Susan to lunch.
It turned out to be a quiet week and Hermione was glad that nothing changed in her daily routine at Hogwarts, except that she was generally happier with herself. She still had to pinch herself sometimes in the face of the fact that Severus was actually interested in her and had agreed to be in a relationship. At the weekend, for the first time in a fortnight, she caught sight of Albus Dumbledore at the teacher's table at breakfast. He seemed a little restless and Hermione was not surprised when Lancelot delivered a message from him to her along with the mail, asking her to join him in his office.
"Good evening, Hermione. I trust you had a good time while I was away?" he asked after dinner when she had taken a seat in the armchair she had conjured for herself. He nodded at her appreciatively and Hermione beamed at him, briefly recounting her official experiences of late.
"Albania," he replied curtly to her question about where he had been for the last two weeks and Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. She understood immediately that he had obviously been looking for the phantom-like Voldemort after Peter Pettigrew, under the influence of Veritaserum, had revealed that he had last been seen there. She didn't bother asking if he had found out anything because it was obvious from the tired and worried look on his face that he hadn't found any trace of Voldemort.
"I think I found something in a Daily Prophet that might help us in our search for a Horcrux," Hermione said, pleased to see her Headmaster's expression brighten. She pulled from her pocket the sheet of parchment on which she had made the copy of the article.
"I'm sure you're aware that Voldemort took a job at Borgin and Burke's after Hogwarts?" she asked and Dumbledore nodded.
"Much to the incomprehension of his teachers and admirers," Dumbledore said nodding and looking down at the parchment with interest.
"Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but two days after this article was written, the Daily Prophet announced that he had resigned his position out of the blue and left the country." She raised the parchment in front of her face to read the article to Dumbledore.
"Last descendant of Helga Hufflepuff tragically deceased. As confirmed to the Daily Prophet by several Ministry officials, Hepzibah Smith, the last direct descendant of Helga Hufflepuff - one of the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - was found lifeless in her flat in London last night. To the surprise of the Aurors alerted by Miss Smith's house elf, that house elf made a confession of having poisoned her mistress. The house elf, suspected of the crime by confession, will be questioned later in the week and will have to answer to the Wizarding Gamot. Hepzibah Smith leaves behind two adopted sons, to whom the editors extend their heartfelt condolences."
She raised her eyes and looked into the piercing blue eyes of her headmaster. Slowly he nodded as if stones were falling into place in his head.
"Very good Hermione. I can remember the case. The house elf confessed."
"But isn't it strange that a house elf would poison her master? Shouldn't the magical bonds that tie house elves to their masters make that impossible?"
"You're absolutely right."
"What happened to the elf?"
"She was declared guilty by the majority of the Wizarding Gamot. I voted against it at the time, but I couldn't do anything about the majority," he said, getting up and pacing in front of his desk as he often did.
"What became of her?"
"If I remember correctly, she was punished with clothes," he said, smiling at the confused-looking Hermione.
"But that gives them freedom, doesn't it?"
"Absolutely right. However, you must know that house elves get so attached to their magical bond with their family as they get older that freedom is a far more severe punishment for them than, say, imprisonment in Azkaban."
Hermione looked at him in astonishment and also a little annoyance. She hadn't had much to do with house elves, except for the overly friendly and free Dobby, but the more she learned about them, the more she loathed the slavery the creatures had been subjected to for centuries by wizards and witches.
"And Tom Riddle travelled out of the country exactly two days after the incident?" asked Dumbledore and Hermione nodded. "I didn't put that into context at the time, but it's far from far-fetched, given what we know now, that those two circumstances are connected. You've done really well, Hermione."
She smiled, pleased that her instincts had not deceived her. Dumbledore continued to pace up and down behind his desk, muttering softly to himself.
"Do you think the elf is still alive?"
"Unlikely, but possible. After all, it's been nearly fifty years since she was forced to freedom. You must know that many house elves seek to drown their sorrow over unwanted freedom in alcohol. Unlike humans, they can only tolerate small amounts and are extremely prone to addiction," Dumbledore explained as he continued to pace his office. "Nevertheless, I must try to track her down," he said after a brief pause and stopped.
He sat back down at his desk a moment later and said loudly and clearly, "Minnie!" There was a loud bang and a house elf wearing a blue robe, presumably made for young witches, appeared and nodded at Dumbledore.
"What can Minnie do for you, Boss?" she asked, and Hermione immediately realised that, unlike Dobbie, she had shed the gestures of her earlier submissiveness. Looking around confidently, the wide-eyed elf greeted Hermione politely, but curtly, with a hand gesture.
"I have an assignment for you. I need to track down an elf who was released into freedom about 46 years ago. Her name is Hokey."
"What's in it for Minnie, boss?" the elf asked, winking at Hermione, who giggled.
"A Galleon up front, another Galleon if you find her?" suggested Dumbledore and the elf considered for a moment but then held out her hand, which Dumbledore shook to signify agreement.
"There is no Hokey working in the kitchen, but Minnie will ask the other elves if they know her first."
"Very well, Minnie. That will be all. Good luck!" said Dumbledore, whereupon Minnie said goodbye and disappeared with a loud bang.
"It's great that you treat the house elves of Hogwarts with respect," Hermione said. "Dobbie speaks highly of you."
"I'm glad to hear that," Dumbledore replied, smiling at her through his white beard. "Well, I think for now there is nothing left for us to do but wait and see. Therefore, we can get to the real business of this meeting. I want you to take your O.W.L. exams this year." Hermione looked at him frowning. "I know you've already made it clear that you don't want to leave the school until your seventh year. However, the future has become more uncertain and our recent findings about Lord Voldemort are making the signs increasingly clear that I will need your help and skills in the future. Therefore, I think it is sensible that your career is not affected by this."
Hermione thought about his suggestion for a while but finally nodded, not least at the thought of the Dark Mark on Severus' arm, which he said was becoming a little stronger by the day.
"All right," she said, and Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction.
"At your current level, you will have no trouble whatsoever passing the practical exams with the highest marks. For the subjects you have only been taking since this year, I will send you the necessary books. Of course, you will be exempt from further exams until the sixth year. You could use the time this frees up to do an internship in the ministry, for example. I really enjoyed my time as a youth representative of the Wizarding Gamot, for example."
"That sounds good," Hermione said, unable to shake the feeling that this decision had more benefits for Dumbledore than for herself. But when she thought of Cathubodua's words, her doubts faded. She had not been born the Daughter of the Raven to get good grades. She had a greater role to play.
"If you wish, I will instruct the respective teachers to prepare you as best as possible for the exams in further individual lessons during the week."
Hermione considered for a moment. More private lessons would also mean that she would spend more time with Severus. But her conscience spoke up and finally she shook her head.
"I don't think that's fair to the other students taking the O.W.L. exams. I already have such an advantage with my expanded mind that I trust myself to study for the exams on my own."
"That is most noble of you," Dumbledore said with an impressed expression.
"I can still do the normal private lessons though, can't I?" she asked and Dumbledore nodded. Happily, she jumped up after he dismissed her and told her that she would be getting the necessary books on her Blotts Book in the next few days.
It didn't take long for Hermione to read through all the books on the subject matter of the O.W.L. exams. Most of the time she had sat snuggled up close with Luna in her favourite spot in the common room. It was a wonderful change not having to hide her early exams from anyone.
In fact, no one she had told had been surprised. Susan had joked about why she didn't do the N.E.W.T. straight away and Luna had immediately volunteered to be her study partner for revision and quizzes. Hermione enjoyed her time with Luna, who was as eager to learn as she was. After reading the books, she could revise the material as many times as she wanted in her trances, just as she had done in the previous two school years.
This left her plenty of time to continue her Quidditch training and preparation for the practical exams. As she walked down to her next private lesson with Severus the following Friday evening, her heart seemed to beat faster with each step she took closer to his office. There was one last thing to sort out. One that she was both dreading and curious about his reaction to. She resolved to just be honest and not hide anything from him, even though they were only at the very beginning of getting to know each other, despite her own head start from the journey into his memories.
As she sat down on his couch with a ginger tea after the one-on-one lesson in which they had verbally gone over all the potion recipes relevant to the exams, her heart began to beat faster again.
"There's something else we need to discuss," she said, looking at him over the steaming cup. He only raised an eyebrow in reply, seeming to have noticed her voice trembling slightly with nervousness. "Even though this is all a bit early, there is one subject I don't want to keep secrets from you about," she continued, which only made his gaze grow more suspicious. She took another sip of tea, took one deep breath and tried with all her experience and strength not to blush.
"Well. Susan, my best friend, is not just my best friend, but something more than that. Do you understand what I mean?" she asked, fighting hard against her blood making its way into her head, because after all, she wasn't ashamed of it, so she didn't want to appear to be. Severus looked at her with the same expression still on his face, as if she hadn't continued speaking aloud at all.
Then his eyes flew down over her body for a moment and Hermione giggled as he blushed deeply, just like when she had forgotten to disguise her memory of pleasuring herself from him one morning in her first year. He nodded in response to her question and Hermione continued.
"I'll make this short, we have sex regularly and have an agreement that it will stay that way until we both have a serious relationship."
Severus choked on that without having had anything to drink and coughed for a few seconds, during which Hermione looked at him, spellbound. He had been surprised by this, of course, but she felt the fear of his answer growing inside her. It took him a while to regain his composure.
"I least of all expected that," he finally said, looking at her with a look as if he saw her in a new light. "Thank you for being honest with me. I'm sure it wasn't easy to bring up," he said and Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"That's all?" she asked incredulously and Severus pursed his lips.
"That's not all, no. You've actually brought up one of the subjects I've been putting off myself. So while we're at it, we might as well expand on it. First of all, about your deal. I have no problem with that. Since we're keeping our relationship a secret anyway, the agreement has to go on," he said and Hermione's fear was swept away by a wave of affection for the wizard sitting across from her. She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek lovingly. She could feel him relax and move towards her hand. "I am aware that you are in the midst of puberty. Even though you are clearly more grown up and mature in your mind than 90 per cent of the rest of the students at Hogwarts, you are still a teenager. I can remember the cocktail of emotions, hormones and fears that can overwhelm you at times during this period. But maybe I was different from others," he said, raising his hands as if to say 'what do I know'. Hermione smiled and nodded.
"I can sense that our connection is much more than what is already enough for a normal relationship. My magic is searching for you. I can sense when you're in the same room without seeing or hearing you. It's so much at once that sometimes I get scared of how much I feel for you," Hermione said.
"I feel it too and it scares me even more than you can probably imagine," he said and Hermione looked at him frowning. "Before you, I was driven by nothing but the unbreakable vows I made to Dumbledore. I had nothing to lose," he said and Hermione shook her head vehemently.
"You will never lose me."
"You don't understand me. There was no one I cared about. I had no vulnerability, was the perfect spy for Dumbledore when the Dark Lord returned. We all know it's not a matter of if he'll return, but when."
"And you must realise that I am not something fragile that you can lose, but someone who will stand by you through it. I will be there, by your side, no matter what," she said, and her gaze was so piercing that it left Severus speechless and he nodded.
"Still, it must remain a secret until the inevitable war is over. And that brings me back to the subject at hand. I want you to have a normal life at Hogwarts without our relationship holding you back from anything," he said and Hermione could tell what he meant by the look on his face.
"You're the only one for me," she breathed, taking his hand in her own. He pressed his lips together and looked into her eyes. "Is the age difference such a big problem for you?" asked Hermione sadly, and she could tell from his face that she had correctly interpreted the gist of his statement. He wrestled with himself for a few seconds, then returned her gaze.
"Can't you understand me? As I told you last time, you are perfect to me in every way, but ..."
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn't let him finish and instead placed a Silencio on him.
"I know how old I am, thank you," she said annoyed and stood up. "How are you going to be able to judge whether I'm too young or not developed enough when all the students are walking around in those all-covering robes? Don't pretend you didn't see me in my pyjamas when I slept here. In case you've forgotten again, here's a little refresher," she said, and with a quick flick of her wrist, made her school robes disappear.
Severus, who had at first glared angrily at her for interrupting him and casting a silencing charm, had surprise written all over his face again when his gaze wandered over Hermione, who was standing in front of him in only the underwear she had bought with Amelie during the summer. She thrust her hands on her hips and looked at him challengingly, having lifted the silencio with another wave of her hand. It didn't make any difference, though, since he didn't say anything more anyway.
"Any more questions? I thought so," Hermione said with a triumphant grin, conjuring up her robe again a second later. She dropped down on the couch right next to him this time and grabbed his hand.
"Please don't treat me like a little girl who doesn't know any better. I know what I can do, what I want and what I am. And I'm not ashamed of any of it. Even if what I did with the robe just now was anything but mature," she sighed, unable now to stop herself from blushing.
"Sorry," he said, looking down at her hand that barely half covered his. She squeezed his hand tightly and slid closer to him, whereupon she rested her head on his shoulder. She sighed softly and stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.
"I must apologise too. I'm putting a lot on you. I actually know quite well the predicament you're in and that I have it much easier of the two of us. I can't do more than express all my confidence in you and keep telling you that I really want all this."
"Thank you, I'll try my best," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder. Hermione sighed and snuggled closer to him. She felt so safe and at home with him that she could have fallen asleep right then and there if she had closed her eyes. "That robe thing was really brave, the door wasn't locked," he said and Hermione's eyes flew open again.
"Thank goodness you're always so grumpy to everyone that you don't get many visitors on Friday nights," she said, hearing him snort in amusement. "But thanks for the tip, next time I'll lock the door beforehand."
"Next time?" he asked, amused, and Hermione raised her head to look at him, grinning. He turned his head towards her and a moment later their lips met. The butterflies in Hermione's stomach awoke and did a dance of joy as she lost herself in his lips. Pleased, she noticed that unlike their previous kisses, he was more demanding and pulled her closer to him with one hand. She opened her lips and felt him tense slightly as she tapped her tongue against his lips.
"Relax," she breathed, stroking his cheek with one hand before she kissed him again and she could feel his uncertainty subside. This time he let her tongue have its way and Hermione sank into a frenzy that no kiss had ever induced in her. Unlike Susan, Amelie or Philippe, it didn't just feel good, it felt fantastic. She could feel their magical connection elevating any touch with him to a new level.
She wondered how much longer she could withstand it when a kiss was already setting off such fireworks inside her.
Author's Note: Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well. As always, if you liked this chapter, I would be happy to read a few lines from you.
Also thank you to all the people that already left reviews, favorites and follows! It really means a lot!
Really looking forward to next chapter! :)
See you next time!
Kasing