Based off the Happy Harmony Homestead Discord Writing Prompt: In HBP when Hermione learns that the potions book was once owned by a 'Half-Blood Prince', she finds out after just a day of digging around the library. Now she has to break the news to Harry. The trouble is, she remembers the Firebolt incident of third-year.

Hermione had watched from afar for several hours now, her lower lip beginning to look like she'd been fighting, which she had, only with her own thoughts. Harry was eagerly studying, something that made Hermione so proud of her friend. Especially given the revelations he'd made during the summer about the prophecy and his fated meeting with Voldemort. But he was studying that book.

She knew that without Professor Snape's negative attitude towards him, Harry would improve in Potions, but the tome had allowed him access to the personal notations of a genius of the art. Hermione has struggled a lot at first, considering it cheating, but soon revising her opinion. It was more an advanced study guide. One Harry had offered to share with her.

Yet it's unknown origin made her nervous, and while the tips had thus far proven incredible, she had been scared that one may prove hideously dangerous. So, she had researched, as she was known to do. And now she had the answer.

But…

She was afraid of Harry's reaction. The last time she had felt this nervous about talking to Harry had been before she'd gone to Professor McGonagall about the mystery Firebolt. And that had led to months of distance from her best friend. Something she was very keen to avoid a second time.

Stealing her resolve, she stood, the clippings in hand and walked towards Harry. Her gait was sluggish as she approached and as she came to rest beside him, he turned and gave her that smile and made the whole thing so much harder again.

"Hi, Hermione." He cheered, looking at her happily.

"Hi. Can we talk for a minute?" she replied softly, "somewhere private?"

Her eyes flicked down at the open book and Harry caught the movement. His smile diminished as he put two and two together and realized what she wanted to talk about.

"Please, Harry. I promise it's important."

He nodded, closing the book slightly harder than normal as he rose. The pair walked silently from the common room, no-one paying attention to the frequent sight of them off somewhere together. They wandered for several minutes before Hermione stopped and opened a door at random, finding herself looking into a slightly roomy broom cupboard that was surprisingly devoid of supplies.

She gave a soft noise of surprise as Harry pushed her inside and closed the door, casting a strong locking charm on it and a one-way silencing charm. Hermione wanted to yell at him but was impressed at the fact he had managed both silently, something he had been struggling with in class.

He turned to her, his wand alight and a finger held to his lips. He mouthed the word Slytherins before sitting opposite her with his back to the wall, indicating the space opposite himself. Despite his position, Hermione noted that Harry was listening closely for sounds from outside and still had his wand at the ready. She trusted him to deal with anyone who interrupted and used the silence to prepare herself. When his eyes locked back on her once more, she knew her time was up.

"So…" he offered.

"Professor Snape," Hermione replied, simply.

Harry looked back at her with a look of confusion and she steeled herself.

"I've spent the last day researching and I found what I was looking for, Harry."

Hermione handed him the newspaper clippings she'd found and copied. The first was a simple school newsletter, something she'd expect a club to issue to its members discussing the new Captain of the Ravenclaw Gobstones team. A skinny unattractive woman glared out of the picture that was captioned, Eileen Prince. The article made reference to the fact their President had made the position on the team but was otherwise uninteresting.

The second was what Hermione worried about. It was a small clipping from the Announcements section of the Daily Prophet. The clipping itself was tiny, but the information within had Harry's eyes widening and flicking back to her several times as he read. Most wouldn't find anything overly interesting about a simple marriage announcement celebrating the wedding of a pureblood to a simple muggle man, but the names made all the difference to them.

The final clipping was from the same section of the same paper, but this one had been nearer the top and had the date on it. 13th of January 1960. A birth notification that had surely been unnoticed by most at the time. Simple and short, it simply noted the birth of the first son of Tobias and Eileen Snape, whom they had named Severus.

Harry dropped his hands as he finished the three clippings, letting them loose from his hands where they drifted downward, coming to rest on the book in question. Calling attention to the huge shift the newsprint had made in the minds of both of the occupants of the cupboard.

"It belongs to Snape?" He whispered.

Hermione nodded. "I understand how you're feeling Harry. I know you don't like him, but…" Hermione paused as Harry glanced up at her, his expression unreadable even to her. "Professor Slughorn has said many times that the best students he's ever taught were Professor Snape and your mum. And he's been teaching here for decades."

Harry's face contorted at this information and if she didn't know better, she'd think he was pained by the news. "I know I was hard on you about the book, but if it really belongs to Professor Snape…" Hermione steeled herself for this next part, "I'd like to use it with you."

Harry's eyes flicked up rapidly and locked on her face. "I don't think I can do that, Hermione."

Hermione's head dropped as she awaited the pain of third-year all over again. She had taken something special from Harry and he was going to hate her for it.

"But," Hermione glanced back up at Harry, who was looking at the book with a clear expression of disgust, "maybe you can go through it and copy the changes. I'll order another new copy and we can work off those."

Hermione was thoroughly confused. Harry didn't hate her for taking something from him, he was disgusted with the book itself. She knew he had issues with Professor Snape, but didn't think it was so bad that he would throw away the immense help those notations had been.

"Can I… may I ask why?"

Harry didn't reply, he simply leant forward, swept the clippings off the book and flipped it open. He flicked it around so it was resting on Hermione's lap and pointed his lit wand at a section of the margin that almost seemed as if full of doodles of flowers.

"I did some research too. I am not as good at herbology as Neville, but he identified these immediately. Apparently his Gran has an entire flower bed full of them at home. He said they're to honour the losses of the last war. And… after what I saw last year… I can't use that book anymore."

Hermione looked closer and recognized the flowers herself. Her mother had many lilies spread throughout her gardens. And that's when it clicked for her. Harry wasn't rejecting her or the knowledge of the notes. He was disgusted at the fact his hateful teacher had a thing for his mother. The very thought made Hermione sick, and she was certain it wasn't even half of what Harry must be feeling.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't know." Hermione gasped.

"S'alright, just I don't ever want to see that book again." He whispered back.

Hermione nodded as she gathered the clippings and the now thoroughly gross book and stood up. "I'll copy the potions notes tonight and then we can burn it if you like."

Harry glanced up at her and gave a soft smile. It was far from the one he had given her before all this had begun, but it was a start. "Thank you."