A/N: Hi all. Sorry about the delay, though I have no real excuse. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

Nor bridegroom's voice e'er heard shall be.

Chapter 34

It was but an easy task to order the house-elves to procure tea whenever he had need but Snape found that sometimes, there were benefits to brewing it yourself. For instance, it gave one the opportunity to avert their attention to something entirely banal, allowing them to distance themselves from conversation in a polite manner. And Snape found that it was a most welcome loophole he found. Especially when the conversation in question revolved around less than pleasant subjects such as Hermione Granger; the failing of the wards and the mental state of one Harry Potter.

"Here you are, Minerva," Snape said smoothly as he placed the freshly brewed pot of tea on his coffee table. A saucer appeared in front of her as soon as he did but he still prepared the condiments himself.

"Would you like some honey?"

"You know I do, Severus," Minerva said pleasantly. "Have you been able to gather your thoughts a bit, then?"

Snape raised one sardonic eyebrow. "Surely, I do not know of what you speak." But of course he knew that she knew that he did. Gracious as ever, she merely smiled at him and let things go.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like for you to discuss Mr Potter a bit more with me," Minerva said.

"We discussed him last time as well," Snape reminded her. "Surely, he's not the only thing on your mind, I hope?"

"Come now, Severus," Minerva scolded. "I mean well. There's no need for your vitriol."

Snape snorted. "Vitriol, Minerva? I hardly think that me pointing out your clear interest in the boy can be described as such. I do believe that I have been most pleasant, indeed." Snape filled her cup with tea and watched as the steaming wisps evaporated. "In fact, we should not forget that I have graciously agreed to host you."

"Let's not pretend that it puts you out," Minerva told him. And quite right she was. "But I suppose you're right as well. Your remarks in regards to Mr Potter are not quite as scathing as they used to be." She raised her cup to her lips and took a small sip. "So let me cut to the chase then. He has me worried."

"Because of Ms Granger, you mean?" Snape asked. He filled his own cup and grabbed a biscuit for good measure.

"In part," Minerva said. "The situation with Ms Granger was a wakeup call of sorts. It's not that I believe any of the other Gryffindors are prone to the kind of er… dare I say mistake she made but perhaps I should be more cognizant of their overall happiness."

Her expression was stricken. She did always wear her emotions on her face for all to see. And right now it was obvious just how distraught the entire situation had made her.

Still, Snape couldn't help but feel a bit put out. "Are you suggesting that Mr Potter hasn't experienced any guidance in my house?" he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral for Minerva's sake. "Or do you still suspect that I revel in his misery and make his every day as horrible as it can possibly be? Perhaps you expect the other Slytherins to torment him to no end."

That last bit was a tad unfair, Snape realised, since some of the Slytherins had taken it upon themselves to pick on Potter. But Minerva didn't know that. She couldn't. Because Potter was not the type to go telling an adult about his problems.

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist, Severus," Minerva scowled. "I know for a fact that something is wrong. I simply can't figure out what."

"Besides the loss of one of his best friends?" Snape asked dryly.

"Yes!"

"Very well, I'll play along," Snape said calmly. It would not do to rile up the fierce lioness sitting in front of him. Tower or no, she would fight for her Gryffindors. "Why do you suspect something is amiss?"

"Because he hasn't been able to make any more progress as an Animagus."

Snape simply stared.

"Don't look at me like that, Severus," Minerva chided. "There's no need for jealousy simply because you were never able to –"

"It's no matter of jealousy," Snape interrupted harshly. "And frankly, I detest what you're implying. However, I believe that you might be putting too much faith in the boy's abilities. Surely, most if not all of your students have been unable to become animagi, have they not?"

"Of course," Minerva said impatiently. "The point is that Mr Potter was well on his way to completion. He already is an animagus. There is no doubt! The problem is that something is keeping him from completing the final step. It is almost as if –"

"Yes?" Snape prompted.

Minerva sighed. "I can't explain it but it's as if there's something wrong with the connection between his magical core and his mind. Nothing severe enough to cause him a hindrance when it comes to normal life but still a clear hurdle on the path to transformation."

"Ah," Snape replied, a light bulb going off in his head. If Minerva was right and it was something physical stopping Potter from achieving this feat, it had likely to do with his hidden scars.

"Ah?" Minerva repeated. "Is that all you have to say?" She leaned closer and peered at Snape with hawk-like eyes. Or cat-like, Snape supposed. Unintentionally, Snape leaned a bit heavier against the back of his chair. The mind was a strange thing. Even now, he was reminded of the days when he was a student and Minerva was his Professor. She still wore that same fierce glare.

"You are keeping something from me, aren't you?" she hissed. "Go on, spill it."

"I assure you, Minerva, that I merely have an inkling," Snape replied coldly. "However, even if my suspicion would prove to be true, it is not something I can relay to you."

"And whyever not?" Minerva asked angrily. "Mr Potter may be a Slytherin now but he will always be a Gryffindor first and foremost. Furthermore, this is a transfiguration issue for which you – if memory serves – never did much better than Acceptable on average so if someone can help him overcome whatever this is, it would be me. And another thing-"

"No," Snape interrupted. "No other thing."

Minerva leaned back and crossed her arms. "No?" she repeated. "Give me one good reason."

"Trust," Snape said easily. When Minerva's expression turned to one of confusion, Snape raised his chin a bit as if in defiance.

"I have information that Mr Potter does not wish for me to share with those not in need of knowing," he said.

"But I am-"

Snape raised his hand to stop Minerva's protests. "You are not in the need to know. Regrettably, since I know and you don't, I'm the better judge of the truth of that statement. However, if you wish a second opinion, Albus is also aware of these particular circumstances. Though I believe that he will be as inclined to share this information with you as I am."

Now, Minerva seemed almost crestfallen. Snape sighed. He knew what it was like to feel helpless. "Minerva," he said softly. "I am certain that I've said this before but I am doing my best to do right by Mr Potter and the other Gryffindors that joined my house, however few they are."

Minerva readjusted the glasses on her nose. "I know," she said. "I just want to prevent another…"

Snape nodded. "It won't happen again," he said. "Ms Granger was deeply troubled. And I confess that Mr Potter also requires some assistance moving forward but I assure you that I have him in hand. And I quite like to believe that he knows that he can depend on me."

Minerva smiled wryly. Snape knew what that meant. She didn't believe him. Not entirely.

"Do you want my vow?" Snape asked, his voice bland.

"Heavens no, of course not," Minerva replied quickly, scandalised. "Don't be absurd. Fine, I'll believe you. Goodness." She took another sip of her tea as she tried to recollect herself. "You certainly don't take half measures, do you? If only you had shown the same kind of diligence when studying for your N.E.W.T.'s back in the day."

Snape smirked. "Transfiguration is hardly necessary when aiming to become a potions master," he said. "Why should I apply myself to a course I would never take? You likely know that potion ingredients can't be transfigured. It would lead to disastrous results."

"Incorrigible," Minerva told him. "You're incorrigible, Severus. I suppose your ineptitude –"

"Ineptitude!"

"Well, your average transfigurative skills had nothing to do with James Potter, hm?"

"I certainly don't see the merit of bringing up that swine," Snape said evenly. "And I'll have you know that his presence didn't pose a problem."

Minerva chose a biscuit and Snape made a mental note to prepare more of those in the future.

"It's a shame," Minerva continued. "You might have made a fine animagus, I imagine."

Snape rolled his eyes but decided to make use of her comment to address another issue. "Speaking of Animagi, Minerva," he said. "Has anyone told you about a certain rat scurrying through the castle?"

Minerva narrowed her eyes. "A rat animagus?" she asked. "Unregistered?"

"Honestly, at this point it wouldn't surprise me to find out that most Animagi are unregistered," Snape told her. "What would be the point in giving away your biggest trump card?"

"Well, simply put, it is illegal to keep that a secret," Minerva said easily. "Surely, most people would rather not break the law, I imagine."

Snape scoffed. "I believe our opinions differ on the matter but that is not the concern here. I take it Albus hasn't spoken to you, then?"

"He hasn't," Minerva said primly. She added another spoon of honey to her cup before stirring it into her tea. "I assume he didn't find it necessary."

"Be that as it may, I cannot help but wonder if you would be able to recognise an Animagus if you saw one," Snape asked. "Because I must confess that inspecting every single rat that crosses my path is becoming quite tiresome, indeed."

Minerva snorted. "You're chasing rats now, Severus?" she asked, the mirth much too obvious in her smirk. "Now that's quite the amusing picture."

"Not in the slightest," Snape disagreed. "It is tedious. And so?"

"Of course not," Minerva belatedly answered his question. "Being an Animagus does not give you some sort of second sight with which to identify others. Where would you get such a silly idea?"

Snape huffed. "It was merely a question," he said. "We need to do something about this person before he or she brings down the wards entirely."

"The wards?" Minerva repeated, the smirk vanishing quickly. "I knew that I could feel that something was amiss. But the wards themselves… Severus, are you even supposed to tell me this?"

"If Albus didn't tell you yet, I am certain that it's only because he didn't get to it yet," Snape said. "You were an order member back in the day and I'm certain you would be again if it was required. Keeping you – the only animagus on staff – in the dark would be quite a misstep indeed."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, almost as if mimicking Snape. "You know he's not going to like you blabbing like this."

Snape inclined his head. "Perhaps you could try and find a speck of Slytherin within that Gryffindor husk of yours, Minerva, and simply not tell Albus about this," he said. "As it stands, the man has made too many mistakes of late to fault me this small misstep."

"Oh?" Minerva asked. "No wait, don't tell me. I'd rather not know."

Snape nodded. "No, you wouldn't. So, do you have any ideas regarding this animagus? If you can't identify him as is, perhaps by means of a spell?"

"Come now," Minerva told him. "As you know there's a spell to force an animagus to transform back into their human form but there isn't one for the identification of one."

"So we can use this spell on every rat we meet, I suppose," Snape said.

Minerva shook her head. "You really should have paid more attention in transfiguration, Severus," she sighed. "If you perform that spell on a regular animal, its body will misinterpret the command quite incorrectly and… well… it will basically turn itself inside out."

Snape stared.

"What?" Minerva asked. "Is that what you want then? Exploded rats splattered along the dungeon walls? That might make for some gritty décor, even for Slytherin's standards."

"I was merely considering the rather vile implications if used on humans," Snape whispered, wondering why Voldemort had yet to use such an abhorrent spell on his victims.

"There wouldn't be any," Minerva replied, her voice strict as if she was teaching him. Snape realised that she probably was. "The spell can't be used on a subject that is already human since that is the final product you wish for. A human would be fine."

Snape shook his head as if to rid himself of the violent imagery from a few moments before. "Very well," he said. "No exploding rats or other critters in the dungeons. But I must admit that I am out of ideas. Unless you want to hunt for it?"

"Hunt for rats?" Minerva asked. "Severus, that is very much below me."

Snape chuckled and refilled both of their cups. "I thought it was a favourite pastime of cats."

"Very funny," Minerva said, accepting her cup. "But no. Unless you would be coming with me because I refuse to put any of those creatures in my mouth. Besides, I wouldn't mind watching you chase rats. It seems like a rather fun pastime."

"Indeed?" Snape asked. "I will think on it. For now, do try and keep an eye out for a rat that misses a toe."

"A toe?" Minerva repeated. She frowned and her gaze took on a faraway look for a short moment.

"Does that ring any bells, then?" Snape asked.

"No," Minerva said. "Probably not, I don't think. That would be too… forget it. Oh, have you spoken to Remus about this?"

"Minerva…"

"Don't look at me like that, Severus," Minerva scolded. "You don't need to remind me about your past animosity, though I would have hoped that you had grown past that by now. No?" She took another sip. "As it stands, we both know what Remus is."

"A liability, you mean."

"His affliction," Minerva said sternly. "Makes it so the man is much more in tune with his senses than other people are. Perhaps you could rally him to our cause?"

"Or perhaps Albus can ask him to look for the rat," Snape growled. "Either way, I can make a potion to raise the intensity of our senses so the man's help should not be required."

"Yes," Minerva agreed. "Do tell me, have you regularly ingested such potions?"

Snape sighed. "No."

"Then you'll likely not know how the smell of a normal rat differs from that of a human in disguise, will you?" she asked a bit triumphantly.

"I do hate to repeat myself, Minerva," Snape said caustically. "But if Lupin is necessary for this mission, I would recommend Albus ask him. Though I doubt the werewolf would prove useful in any shape or form since he never was very diligent in anything he did."

"You can't fault Remus for that," Minerva said gently. "He's always had a lot on his plate. Can't you imagine how terrible –"

"Spare me," Snape said. "I don't require his sad background story, Minerva. All I know is that there are people I can trust and there are people I can't. Lupin falls into the latter category and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Maybe he can?" Minerva said. Her eyes sparkled in the way that Albus' often did and Snape wondered if it was something that came with old age.

"That is doubtful," Snape said. "Though I'll admit that I've been proven wrong before." He aimlessly stirred the tea in his cup with a spoon, the warmth of the metal calming against his skin. "But I am not risking Albus' anger by telling the werewolf anything."

"You told me," Minerva pointed out.

"So I did."

"Fine, I'll drop it," Minerva said in exasperation, one hand flying upwards to emphasize her frustration. She nearly spilled her tea in doing so. "Find the rat on your own then."

"Oh, I'm not on my own," Snape said easily.

"Oh?"

"Albus' new mutt seems rather keen on hunting it as well."

"Yes," Minerva said. "That er… dog. Quite a fascinating new addition."

"I can't imagine why Albus suddenly decided on creating a menagerie. I'd rather he left such beasts with Hagrid instead."

"It's hardly a menagerie, Severus," Minerva said, the mirth from before back in her voice. "He has two pets. There are plenty of people who have more than those. And Fawkes seems quite taken by the dog."

"I don't like the way it looks at me," Snape confessed.

"And how does it look at you?" Minerva asked with a sideway glance.

"As if it desires to eat me."

Minerva laughed then, putting her cup back on the table in fear of dropping it in the process. "Oh come now, Severus," she said. "It's not going to eat you."

"I didn't say it was," Snape said calmly. "I merely said that it looks at me as if it wants to. If it ever attempts to do so, though, I'll be sure to end it before it can try."

"I take it you're not a dog person, then," Minerva said. "Is that why you like spending your free time with me?"

Snape snorted. "I don't care much for cats either," he confessed. "What I appreciate is that you dare converse with me without the fear of saying something wrong nor do you take my harsher comments personally."

"Or seriously," Minerva laughed.

Snape smirked. "Yes, there is that."

"On that note," Minerva said. "Should we discuss Septima? I couldn't help but notice the way she was stealing glances."

Snape sighed. "One moment, Minerva. It would appear that we're out of tea."

It was strange that classes had started up again as if nothing was amiss. In fact, it almost felt as if this was a new year entirely. Perhaps even a new school. So much was different now. Hermione's lack of enthusiastic hand-raising was noticeable in every class. Most of the teachers were subdued and didn't even ask too many questions. Perhaps because they too realised that something would be missing.

Most of the other students were also quiet, though Slytherin was a notable exception for the most part. Daphne was respectful of everyone's grief, though. And Malfoy… well Malfoy was acting decidedly odd. He was quiet, withdrawn and stayed at the back of his classes. What's more, Harry noticed some subtle signs here and there that reminded him just a bit too much of himself. And it freaked him out.

Draco seemed to be pulling back from conversation every time someone tried to talk to him. When a teacher pointed out that he was doing something incorrectly, he would avert his eyes and most telling of all, he was quite jumpy at sudden noises.

"What's wrong Harry?" Ron asked from next to him. "That's a stupid question of course but… is something else wrong?"

"What would be wrong?" Harry asked absentmindedly.

"Well, I notice you looking at Malfoy a great deal today," Ron pointed out. He then lowered his voice to a low whisper. "Are the Slytherins giving you a hard time about Hermione? Because I swear to Merlin, Harry, I will go over there and –"

"They didn't do anything," Harry said quickly before Ron could interrupt into actual fury. "The Slytherins are fine. It's just Malfoy. Don't you think he's acting kind of… I dunno… strange?"

Ron glanced at the blond Slytherin before shrugging. "Maybe he didn't get the presents he wanted for Christmas, Harry, I don't know. But I really don't care about Draco sodding Malfoy right now. He's the snake that called Hermione… that word, making her feel all inferior to him. That probably didn't help, did it?"

Harry thought that was kind of unfair. Sure, it had been horrible of Malfoy but Hermione had been stronger than that. Sure, the word had hurt her for a moment but she had gotten over it rather quickly. Ron had been the one to be really insulted because of it. That, and he made himself eat slugs, of course.

Arguing wasn't going to do anything, though. And Harry supposed that it was normal to find someone or something to be angry at. He was just glad that it wasn't him. He put a comforting arm around Ron's shoulders and gave him a brief hug before withdrawing. Sprout had definitely noticed and quickly turned around to wipe at her eyes with all the subtlety of a Hufflepuff. Not that Harry was one to talk. He peeked over his shoulder again to see Malfoy glancing at the door of the greenhouse. It was almost as if he was feeling trapped. But then he caught Harry staring at him and scowled.

'What?' he mouthed. Harry just shrugged and slightly shook his head. Though the boy's sudden attitude did nothing to dissuade his concerns.

Not that he was concerned for Malfoy, mind. No way in hell.

"Harry, can I talk to you real quick?"

Harry blinked and uncrossed his legs. He had been sitting near the fire place in the Slytherin common room after an exhausting first day in class. His arms still ached from the failed animagus transformation. He looked up at Daphne, who was carrying a rather large package. "Should I help you with that?" he asked.

Daphne smiled. "That is very kind of you to offer but no, not quite yet. It's not heavy in any way." She flicked her long hair over her shoulder. "So, a conversation, perhaps,"

"Er… sure," Harry said, glancing around to look for his dormmates. "I think no one's in my dorm room so you can come up there with me if you'd like."

Daphne chuckled. "Harry Potter, that must be the least subtle attempt at seduction I've ever laid witness to."

"Wow, no. Not seduction!" Harry said quickly. "It just looked like you wanted to talk in private. I didn't mean –"

"Relax," Daphne said, switching the package from one shoulder to the other. "I was merely teasing. Let's go to your dorm room, even if it's a bit unorthodox."

When they walked towards the stairs, Harry automatically sought out Malfoy to gauge his reaction. But while the boy appeared to be watching them, his eyes were staring way off into the distance while a book lay open on his lap, though seemingly forgotten. Not allowing himself to ponder that over, they continued up the stairs and Harry opened the door for Daphne.

He had been right that there was no one in the room for now. "Go on, have a seat," he said, waving towards his bed. "It's clean. I promise."

When she did, Harry sat next to her, lifting his legs onto the bed to sit crossed legged. "So… you're making me very curious about that package."

Daphne nodded. "It's been long overdue, really."

"Overdue?" Harry replied. Christmas had only just passed.

Daphne sighed. "Well, remember that day when I er… tricked you into going to the hospital wing for your check-up?"

Of course Harry remembered. He nodded, afraid that his annoyance might show if he replied verbally. Luckily, Daphne picked up on his unease and moved on.

"Well, I told you that day that I would make it up to you that evening," she said. "It's something I had arranged before, after all. With Professor Snape. You see, he owed me for that favour and I thought… well, I know how much you appreciate honesty so I'll tell you the truth that er… I thought that I might use that favour to win yours."

Harry leaned back on his palms and looked at Daphne. She really was beautiful. But right now, she seemed unsure of herself. Something she rarely showed. In fact, it was rare of her to show any kind of vulnerability when out in the open. Harry supposed that meant that she trusted him. That or this was all part of some kind of scheme.

"Go on," he said cautiously.

"Goodness Harry, it isn't like me to feel so flustered," Daphne sighed. She breathed in and out a few times before she composed herself. "It is like this," she said. "I arranged this present for you. But when you got back that day you were quite upset and didn't want anything to do with me. And then, I didn't want it to seem as if I was bribing you since I was starting to get a sense of your Gryffindor values, you see? So I held on to this er… present."

Daphne also leaned back on her palms and crossed her ankles. The large package waited between them on the bed. "And then I thought it might make for a good Christmas present, so I invited you over. I couldn't have known, of course what would happen. It is really quite terrible the way you've lost your friend. I admit to feeling quite guilty that I've been jealous of her closeness to you. Right now I wish that I could simply give her back to you."

"I appreciate that," Harry said. "But I'm sure Hermione didn't let it bother her all that much. She was stronger than that."

"Yes," Daphne said, smiling softly. "Now you might understand what I meant with it being overdue. I tried to give this to you several times and now it's honestly starting to become burdensome. Every time I see it, it's like a list appears in my mind that tells me that this is one more thing I have yet to tick off. And I really do want you to have it. So please, Harry, won't you accept this genuine token of appreciation?"

Harry smiled at her. "Will it still count as a favour, then?" he asked. "What should you want in return?"

Daphne waggled her eyebrows a bit, making Harry snort. "That looks ridiculous!"

"Oh, just open it, you prat," she teased pushing Harry's shoulder with her own.

"Alright, already," Harry laughed and focused his attention on the large packaging. The paper was quite simple and demure whereas the bow tying it all together was festively golden. Lacking any sense of decorum, Harry ripped the paper off in one fell swoop, revealing a beautiful broomstick resting in a half box made from thick cardboard. The handle was made from polished ebony and the twigs were hazel, their length precisely even and so straight that Harry imagined they must have been grown magically.

"I chose hazel because I think you prefer precise steering over fast ascension," Daphne explained. "Oh, and look here."

She pointed at the handle where she had it engraved. Harry's name stood out in bold letters and underneath it a whimsical inscription. "No excuses. Only victories."

Harry laughed. "This is brilliant!" he said. "But you do realise that I'll use this when I get back to Gryffindor as well, right?"

"That works just fine for me," Daphne replied. "It gives you something to remember me by, doesn't it?"

"Thank you," Harry said. "I really do appreciate it."

"Now, about that favour," Daphne said, her voice sly. "Close your eyes for a moment, will you?"

Harry did. Not a second later he felt the familiar sensation of her lips on his, and smelled her perfume that had enveloped the letter she sent before. A hand came to rest on his cheek and he deepened the kiss, the broomstick momentarily forgotten on the floor.

A/N: And that wraps up that chapter. It will likely be the last one of the year too.
Please do leave me a review, even if you feel like you have nothing of substance to say. I felt so good about last chapter and hardly got any response which kind of had me down about the fic for a while. I know it's probably bad form to say so but... "shrugs".

Thanks for reading!