Chapter 13: Committee
Not surprisingly, Albus arrived shortly after their second kiss. It was proof positive of a belief Severus had long held: Albus Dumbledore had terrible timing.
"Ah-hem," Albus said, brushing soot from his robes and twinkling madly, "I see your discussion went well."
Reluctantly, Severus drew his lips away from Hermione's. She blushed, ducking behind Severus to compose herself. Severus allowed himself a small smile at her embarrassment. He straightened, gazing levelly at Albus.
"Quite well," he said with a glare. "What did you learn at the Ministry?"
The headmaster's face grew grave. "Arthur was quite concerned. He wants to speak to Hermione."
Hermione, composed again, emerged from behind Severus and asked, "What did he want to know?"
Albus gestured for them to sit, then called for tea. Once they were all comfortably seated around his desk, tea in hand, he began to speak. "Arthur is concerned about what Malfoy may do, naturally. But he is also concerned about the consequences this may have for Hermione."
Severus bristled at that statement. Tensely he asked, "What exactly do you mean by consequences?"
Albus sighed again. "The Aurory is insistent that Hermione acted as Malfoy's accomplice. Personally, I think it's more an issue of them trying to place blame to cover their own incompetence."
Hermione angrily jumped to her feet and began to pace. "You know I would never help Malfoy-"
"Of course, my dear," Albus said gently. "And you know that Arthur does not believe that either. To that end, Arthur and I have decided to call a meeting here at Hogwarts to discuss how to proceed concerning Malfoy." He stood, stretching to ease the kinks from his back. "I would suggest you try to get some rest now. The meeting will be later tonight and I've no doubt it will continue until quite late."
Trying to ingnore his mounting tension headache, Severus gave Albus a quick nod, grasped the still furious Hermione by her elbow and led her out of the office. He allowed himself a small smile at her grumbles as they made their way back to his dungeon.
When he reached the lower levels, he gave her a speculative look; her agitation was fairly clear and he knew they wouldn't get any more work done for the day. Not only did they need to deal with the Ministry and Malfoy, there was also still the need to discuss the memories he had shared with her.
Not to mention the kiss.
As he lowered the wards to his private rooms, Severus shook his head in disgust. Even a couple of weeks ago he would have never considered having a discussion of any sort with Hermione. Certainly not one about relationships. It was a sure sign of how deeply she had gotten under his skin.
Once inside, Severus hastily lit a fire and settled the now quiescent Hermione into one of the armchairs in front of it. The silence in the room was broken only by the occasional crack of the fire and the sounds of Severus making tea.
"Do you…" Hermione started to say, but trailed off with a frown.
Severus looked at her speculatively. "Do I what?" he asked with a slight sneer to his tone.
She answered with a slight sneer of her own. "I've had six years to learn to deal with that tone of voice. I think you'll find it's less than effective on me."
He merely quirked an amused eyebrow in her direction though the reminder of her past with the other Severus left him a little uneasy.
Hermione snorted, then sighed. "Do you… do you think I helped Malfoy?"
Severus sat forward in his chair, frankly a bit surprised at the question. He searched her face for a moment before answering. "I think that Albus is right. They are simply looking for a scapegoat and, in this case, you are the most attractive suspect." He took her hand in his and waited until she looked up at him. "Albus and Arthur will deal with the Aurors, Hermione. You needn't worry about anything. Focus instead on the potion."
He watched her intently as she processed his words. Finally she gave him a small smile and said, "Of course. You're right." Wearily she stood. After giving his hand a small squeeze then dropped it. "I know we need to… talk," she said quietly, "but I'm just so tired."
He waved a dismissive hand in her direction. "Say no more. Go back to your quarters and rest. You'll need your stamina for the meeting tonight." He took a small step towards her, bringing a tentative hand to her cheek. "We can talk later."
She smiled, a genuine, nearly heartbreaking smile. "Thank you for understanding." She rested her hand briefly over his hand on her face, then turned to leave.
Even after she had left, her presence remained. This time, Severus didn't mind the intrusion at all.
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Hermione stared at her reflection with no small amount of trepidation. Her face was sleep-lined and her hair was beyond control. Dreading the meeting she would soon need to leave for, she splashed a little cold water onto her face and wrestled her hair into a tight knot.
Finally, she felt a little more human. Unfortunately, as her fatigue faded, her nerves reasserted themselves. She had had little time up until now to dwell on what had happened between her and Severus- and Severus he now was. She could no longer deny the attraction and desire, possibly even love, she had for him. And yet, she couldn't help but feel unfaithful. How could she even be contemplating another relationship so soon after her husband's death?
On the other hand, how could she not, considering the object of her affections.
It was a sticky situation, and while Hermione knew that this Severus was not just a replacement for her husband, a traitorous little voice in the back of her head continued to voice doubt. After all, she probably wouldn't have even considered Severus if not for the remembered feelings he sparked within her.
She shook her head. It wouldn't do to dwell on the complexities of her situation right now. She needed to focus on the situation with Malfoy. She couldn't deny the considerable danger that both she and Severus were now in. Lucius had always loathed Severus and wouldn't pass by a chance to kill him… again.
She was startled from her reverie by a knock at her door. She tensed, hoping it wasn't Severus. While she didn't regret what had transpired between them- but don't you, the little voice niggled- she wasn't exactly up to seeing him right now. They would need to talk, of course, just… later.
Opening the door, she nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was only Ron.
"How are you?" he asked, giving her a searching look.
She sighed. Gesturing for him to come in and have a seat, she explained, "No worse for the wear, as you can see. My discussion with the headmaster went quite well, and Sev- Snape didn't hex me."
He snorted. "Wouldn't put it past the bastard," he muttered under his breath. Hermione wisely ignored the comment. "So," he continued, "Dumbledore has called a meeting tonight. Any idea if it's about Malfoy?"
"It…is," she said haltingly. Ron gave her a questioning look. She settled a little heavier into her chair before answering. "The Aurors think I helped Malfoy come here. Your father is trying to hold them off from questioning me."
He jumped to his feet and began to pace. Hermione, used to his frequent outbreaks of kinetic energy, bided her time and settled in for what would no doubt be a spectacular rant.
"Of all the… What the hell are they thinking? How can you…" His comments continued for several minutes as he cursed everyone from the Ministry to Malfoy. Finally, he pushed a frustrated hand through his hair and sat again.
"I swear to you, Mione, I won't let them near you."
Hermione sat up, startled at his vehemence. Dangerous ground, girl, she commented to herself. She could literally feel the possessive waves rolling off of him and was reminded, yet again, that she still needed to deal with his attraction towards her. She would need to tread carefully and would certainly need to find a way to curb his protective instinct. After all, Severus didn't need both Malfoy and Ron trying to kill him.
"That's very kind," she said brusquely. Standing, she moved to grab her robe. She slipped it on and gestured for Ron to precede her to the door. Before she could exit, she found herself in a tight embrace. She tensed, then slowly made herself relax. He was just trying to comfort her, she reassured herself.
"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you again," Ron whispered into her ear. He clung to her tightly and Hermione felt smothered by his touch. Gently, she disentangled herself from him.
"Ah, yes. Well, we'd best get to the meeting to make sure that's never an issue." She tried to summon a brave smile, but the flare in Ron's eyes made her falter.
"Yes," he mumbled as they left. "Let's make sure that never happens."
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The headmaster's office was already bustling with activity when Hermione and Ron arrived. Hermione glanced around anxiously for Severus, but he didn't appear to be present yet. She grudgingly allowed Ron to maneuver her into the chair next to his and managed not to sigh when he moved his chair snugly against her own.
She should have felt flattered at his protective attitude; she really just felt annoyed. Severus had never, nor would he ever, assume that she needed protection. It was one of the most attractive things about him.
And when the subject of her thoughts entered the room, still as stoic and sullen as ever, she felt all her trepidations about their situation dissolve. She loved this man- this man, she firmly told the little voice- and knew that they would deal with whatever was to come together.
Feeling much better for the revelation, she flashed Severus a brilliant smile, to which he responded with a sardonically quirked eyebrow. He sent a questioning glance in Ron's direction and Hermione shrugged and rolled her eyes. He seemed to understand, giving her a small smirk as he settled into the seat nearest the headmaster's desk.
A rustle of noise from the doorway diverted her attention from Severus. Albus, Draco and Harry had entered, and the room quieted in anticipation of the meeting beginning. While Albus made his way to his desk, Harry went to Hermione's side.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, pulling a chair to her side. She nodded distractedly, noticing the cold look on Draco's face. Seated next to Harry, he kept sending sharp looks in her direction. She wondered if he believed her to be an accomplice to his father.
"I'm glad you could all make it on such short notice," Albus said. "I'm sure most of you are aware of the reports of Lucius Malfoy-" There were a number of agitated grumbles heard around the room. Albus raised a hand to silence them. "I am sad to say that they are true."
This time, outright shouts and curses could be heard. Hermione winced, keeping her gaze focused resolutely on her hands.
"How is this possible, Albus?" she heard someone say. Various voices demanded an answer to the question as well.
Eventually the room quieted, although the air remained tense. "Perhaps I shouldn't be the one to explain," Albus said. Hermione's head shot up and she went cold. Silently, she tried to beg the headmaster to explain; she wasn't sure she could face the crowd right now.
Fate must have been smiling down on her, or at least Albus Dumbledore was, because he turned to Severus. "Severus, I believe you said you could explain to us."
Hermione gave Severus a grateful look which he dutifully ignored. He stood, quieting the crowd with a glare. In a quiet, steady voice, he began to speak of Hermione's reappearance and their subsequent work on the potion together. Finally, he told them of Lucius's attack on her and how he came to be affected by the potion. When he finished, the room was deathly still.
And then, all hell broke loose.
Nearly every person in the room was on his or her feet, peppering the Potions master with questions. Harry gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before moving to assist Dumbledore with the crowd.
Draco and Hermione were left sitting quietly together.
"Why didn't you tell me my father was back?" Draco asked Hermione quietly, but loudly enough to be heard over the din. She risked a glance at him and immediately noticed the pale, pinched look on his face. Her heart clenched in her chest.
"I didn't know, Draco." He looked dubious. "I'm being honest, Draco. If I'd have known…" her voice failed her. She couldn't stand the accusation in his eyes. She heard him sigh as he stood and walked away.
Hermione's guilt for the pain she was causing, however unintentionally, was eating away at her. She understood, all too well, the damage that Lucius could do to this world. Already, he had killed countless innocents; she didn't doubt that some killings had gone unreported by the media. Now, he would come for her and Severus, not to mention his son and anyone else he viewed as an obstacle or traitor.
The room was still loud with the various arguments and speculations going on, so only Hermione, who was seated next to the fireplace, noticed when the Floo glowed green. She was also the only one who noticed the letter that flew from it and landed on the floor.
Uneasy, she reached a shaky hand out and picked up the letter. Inexplicably, it was addressed to her.
Her dread grew as she hesitantly broke the seal.
Inside it read: We shall meet again soon, Mrs. Snape.
She didn't have to guess who it was from.
A/N: Sorry for being such a big slacker. Hopefully this will tide you over. As always, thanks for all the great reviews! Big thanks to sophierom for betaing and putting up with my slacker self.