Summary: Theodore Nott speaks to the students.
A/N: Well, all the fluff has to end sometime, right?
Chapter 19:
Severus meandered to the Entrance Hall where he was supposed to meet Theodore Nott. He was eager to hear what Nott would say in his presentation to the students and faculty. He hoped the students would gain more insight into those who were children of Death Eaters.
Hagrid led Nott into the Entrance Hall and over to where Severus stood. He extended his hand and Theodore grasped and shook it in greeting.
"Good to have you here, Mr. Nott."
Hermione meandered up at that point. "Sorry, I'm late. A student needed to talk to me after class." She shook Nott's hand. "Hi, Theo. How are you?"
"Fine," Theo said.
"We're looking forward to what you have to share. The students seem to get a lot out of these presentations," Hermione continued as they moved into the Great Hall.
Nott ignored her. Severus wasn't surprised. The Nott family had believed heavily in supremacy, and Theodore Nott was no exception. He'd been surprised that Hermione's hand was even shaken.
They settled in the Great Hall and watched the students enter in groups. Soon Minerva was introducing Theo, and he stood and made his way to the podium. Clearing his throat, he began.
"Some of you know me. I spent my seven years here just like all of you. I did have to deal with some… challenges during my time as a student. My father was a loyal follower of the Dark Lord. In my fifth year, he was sent to Azkaban for attacking the Ministry and Harry Potter."
He took a sip of water. "He was released after a year and a half but was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts. Taking over the family has been challenging, but that's not what we're here to speak about today. I think the first time I realized that all of this was real, and we'd all have to make a decision on what side we were going to be on was when Professor Snape killed Headmaster Dumbledore."
Severus stiffened slightly as he listened. Hermione reached out under the table and grasped his hand, squeezing it.
"The war had come to Hogwarts, and those of us who thought we would just be enjoying our school years quickly realized that wasn't the case at all. I remember seeing Dumbledore's body lying on the ground, broken and lifeless. I respected the Headmaster, but I knew he was the Dark Lord's enemy. I struggled with what to think about Dumbledore's death. Should I mourn, or be happy that the Dark Lord had felled his enemy? I mean through Professor Snape, of course."
Severus flinched again.
"I chose to be glad about his death. After all, we were now closer to the Dark Lord's reign because of it. The next year was not what I expected, though. Our normally friendly school became a warzone, with everyone pitted against each other. Professor Snape did all he could as Headmaster. We didn't realize that until after the fact, but he tried to protect the students from being harmed by the Carrows, who enjoyed using Cruciatus curses as punishment.
"The Slytherins and Gryffindors were especially nasty to one another. There were duels in the halls. The Carrows urged everyone to hex first and ask questions later. I had a few run-ins myself, some causing me to have to go to the Infirmary. I can say this now that the war is over: Gryffindors are not to be underestimated."
He took another sip of water.
"When the final battle occurred, it was terrible. We fought against each other. Friends against friends, parents and children against other family members. My father was killed as I stood beside him. A killing curse hit him in the chest. I held him as the light left his eyes. I was lucky no one struck me down because I certainly wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."
He swallowed hard and took another drink. "I've struggled since that moment. The loss of my father has hit me hard. The Dark Lord losing has made me reevaluate my beliefs, and seeing friends of mine killed… It has all been hard to bear. Draco Malfoy is a close friend. He suggested I talk to someone about my feelings. Slytherins don't do that. I told him he was mad, but he kept at it. I saw a Psychological Healer, and he helped."
He looked out over the students. "I know some of you feel the same way I did. I know some of you feel differently, but are still disturbed by the war and what it did to you, your friends, and your families. I thought that counseling was a lark, but it's helped me to work through some of the anger, hurt, and horror I've felt. It's helped me to sort my life and have a positive view of the future again. I urge any of you to seek out help if you need it. Don't wait. It's been too long already if you've been putting this off."
He cleared his throat. "We survived something terrible. No matter what side we supported, we all suffered. Now we must find a way to move on with our lives in the face of whatever tragedies came from the battle and the fight for power. We can overcome all of this. Your years at school will prepare you for the world outside of Hogwarts. Work hard to put the war behind you so you can be successful graduates and help our society to heal and flourish."
Nott finished up and took his seat.
"Thank you for your perspective," Severus told him as the students filed out of the Great Hall.
"Thank you for inviting me, Professor." He stood. "I should be going."
Severus stood as well and shook his hand. He watched Nott leave the Hall. Hermione moved up next to him.
"Are you okay?"
He gave her a surprised look. "Hmm?"
"You seemed tense during some of that."
"I'm fine," he said. "I should be getting back to class."
She squeezed his shoulder, and he gave her a loving look before turning and heading down to the dungeons.
ooo
Later that night, Severus was mulling over what Theo had said in his talk. He stared out the window as he thought about the presentation. He turned to Hermione.
"It was good that Theo discussed getting counseling if you need it. I think many of the students just pretend that everything is all right, but it isn't."
Hermione nodded. "You're right, and having him be so raw about it. Hopefully, he convinced some who need it to seek out help."
Severus' lips thinned.
"What is it, love? You've been pensive all day."
"I wasn't expecting him to talk about me killing Dumbledore. I find it stung somewhat despite knowing that it was a mercy killing."
Hermione reached up and squeezed his shoulder. "That's a natural response. I'm sorry you have to deal with this repeatedly."
"I will have to deal with it for the rest of my life if I am honest. I was hoping as time went on, it would become less painful, but it was just as raw when Theo brought it up as when I first killed him."
"Give it time, love. It won't always be this extreme."
He looked at Hermione seriously. "May I ask you something?"
She moved her hand down and squeezed his. "Yes, of course."
"Does it ever bother you that I killed Dumbledore?"
Hermione let his hand go and opened her mouth to reply. She hesitated as her eyes met his. "When you killed him, I was shattered. I couldn't understand how you could kill your friend. I was puzzled, but I was also angry. I felt betrayed."
Severus nodded and looked away, cringing as he did. Hermione stepped up closer to him and placed her hand on his chest. "But since I learned the truth… No, love. It never bothers me. You were doing Dumbledore a favor."
"Hermione, I killed a man. You have every right to–"
"Stop." She gave him a plaintive look. "Don't, Severus. You know you're not a murderer. You know that Dumbledore trusted you to end his life when he wanted it to end and in a way that wasn't torture." She kissed his lips softly. "I know that too."
"You're sure. Even with those reasons, what I did–it would be hard to see beyond it."
"But I do see beyond it. I see you–an honorable man who worked to overthrow a madman. And a man who granted his friend a quick death instead of torture or suffering. It hasn't bothered me since the truth came out."
He felt relief flood through him. His arms surrounded her, and he kissed her as if she were a lifeline. "Thank you, love."
She smiled into his kiss. "Anytime."
ooo
One month later
Severus entered their quarters to find Hermione curled up on the sofa marking papers. She looked up at his entrance.
Leaning up toward him, she kissed him with gusto. "I missed you," she said between kisses.
"You too," he agreed.
They were engrossed with one another for quite a while when there was a tapping on the door. Severus broke away from Hermione and opened it. An owl soared through and dropped a small package at Hermione's feet. She stooped to pick it up.
"Give the owl a treat, would you, Severus?"
He nodded and went to fetch some owl treats for the bird. Hermione ripped the paper off the package, revealing a small box. She opened it and there was a piece of parchment wrapped around something. Lifting it out of the box, she opened the letter and a necklace fell to the floor. She frowned at the note inside.
"It's from Ron," she called out to Severus who was just returning with the owl treats. She stooped down and went to pick up the necklace from the floor. "It looks like it's broke–"
As she touched it she disappeared.
Severus turned quickly, about to cast detection spells on the necklace when she disappeared from sight. He rushed over to where she had just been. The necklace had disappeared with her–obviously a Portkey. The parchment was there on the floor, dropped by Hermione as she'd bent down to pick up the necklace.
He looked down at the note, which lay open.
YOU'RE MINE, was scrawled on it. Severus cast some detection charms, noting that Hermione had been right. Although he hadn't signed it, it was from Weasley. She probably recognized his handwriting. He cast a couple of locator spells on the note, but it revealed no secrets. Waving his wand, the note began to float. He didn't want to touch it before Aurors could examine it. He had it float next to him as he quickly made his way up to the Headmistress' office, filled with dread. He needed to find Hermione before Weasley did something horrible to her.
ooo
Hermione felt the pull at her navel and realized she'd made a grave error in picking up the broken necklace. She berated herself for not being more careful. She appeared in what seemed to be a log cabin. Gathering her wits and getting her bearings, she saw that Ron was standing in front of her.
She quickly shot off her Patronus before Ron could even react. He rushed to her and grabbed her wand, casting an Incarcerous at her. Ropes surrounded her, and she squirmed, trying to get untied and not fall over. Ron pushed her until she had fallen back and sat hard onto a sofa. Continuing to struggle, she realized she couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried.
He grinned evilly at her as he brandished her wand.
"You won't be needing this anymore, love," he said. Taking it between his two hands, he snapped it in two.
Hermione gasped. "Ron! What is going on? What the hell are you doing?"
He started to slowly pace back and forth. "I'm teaching you a lesson, Hermione. You can't just treat me like shite and get away with it."
"You snapped my wand!" she cried.
You won't be needing that. Not anytime soon. You're here so we can be together again. So you can learn to love me."
Hermione tried to calm herself so she wouldn't let him see that she was freaking out inside.
"Ron." She looked him square in the eye. "You're one of my best friends. You know that. But I just don't have feelings for you like that."
He smirked, and fear shot through Hermione, pooling in her stomach and making her realize she was at his mercy.
"Oh, but you will," he said mysteriously.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you going to do?"
He pulled a vial out of his pocket and lifted it up. It was filled with a liquid with a mother-of-pearl sheen. Hermione's heart constricted within her. It was Amortentia.
"I'm sure you recognize this, Know-it-all that you are."
"It's Amortentia," she said in defeat.
He smirked. "Finally, you will be all mine."
"Ronald, you can't hide with me forever."
"Can't I, though? This cabin is unplottable and secret-kept. No one will ever know you're here with me."
"What about being an Auror? I thought you loved that."
He shrugged. "I did, but I love you more. We'll spend all our time together."
"How will you support us?"
"I've got ways," he said cryptically.
They stared at each other for a few minutes. The look on Ron's face was terrifying. He'd lost all sense. There was an insanity in his eyes. Hermione realized there would be no reasoning with him. He'd already gone over the edge.
"But why, Ron? I mean… you've been the victim of a love potion. You hated it!"
"That was different!"
"How? How was it different?" Anger welled within her, but she fought not to let it show.
He moved up to her and put his face in hers.
"It was me."
She gaped at him.
He chuckled, his voice low and calculating. "I'm tired of not getting what I want. Always being the sidekick. I want what I deserve. And that's you." He pointed at her. "And you will want me and love me."
"Oh, Ron, you know love potions can't bring out true love. Don't you want someone to really love you?"
"I wanted you to love me, but you went and fell for that Greasy Git, so you left me no choice."
"There's always a choice," she said through gritted teeth.
He reached out and caressed her cheek, causing her to pull away from him.
"There, there, my dear. You'll love my touch soon enough."
"Ron, please, let me go."
"Never."