Bittersweet

Bittersweet
song by Apocalyptica

I\'m giving up the ghost of love
in the shadows cast on devotion

She is the one that I adore
creed of my silent suffocation

Break this bittersweet spell on me
lost in the arms of destiny

Bittersweet
I won\'t give up
I\'m possessed by her

I\'m bearing her cross
She\'s turned into my curse

Break this bittersweet spell on me
lost in the arms of destiny

Bittersweet
I want you
I\'m only wanting you
And I need you
I\'m only needing you

Break this bittersweet spell on me
lost in the arms of destiny

Bittersweet...

- - - - -

After decades spent in solitude, Severus Snape knew what it was to suffer. His penance had been paid years before, yet his punishment still lingered. Voldemort’s downfall had brought about no new changes, no sudden realization from the students that Snape had, essentially, rescued the Wizarding World from death, destruction, and despair. Snape was still the greasy git, the big black bat of the dungeons who couldn’t stand a single living soul, or so his students thought.

Though he had been alone for so long, Severus remembered a time when he had been loved by his mother, as any child should be, for the short time he had with her before her death. He remembered how satisfying and comforting it was to be held by another person, to feel that special closeness and warmth. Severus hadn’t felt true companionship with another human being since he was a child.

Over the years, he’d grown accustomed to being isolated, for he really hadn’t any common interests with his peers as it was. Severus retreated further into his black hole, away from everyone else.

Severus never felt the need to seek comfort from another person or to even search out love. He didn’t have any hope, until now.

* * * * *


“Honestly, Ron. You won’t be able to prevent them from having feelings for each other. Even they can’t help if they fall hopelessly, pathetically in love!”

Ron turned to his best female friend, clearly perturbed at her declaration. “’Mione, don’t say that! What if one of them hurts the other one, somehow? I’d have to choose sides! Harry’s like a brother to me, and Ginny’s well…”

Hermione grinned. “I was under the impression that Ginny was your sister.”

“Oh, shut it!” Ron smiled back, catching on. He suddenly turned solemn. “You know what will happen if he breaks her heart, don’t you?”

“Don’t even think about it, Ron. Your hexes and spells are pathetic in their quality, and Harry could best you in a fist fight!”

“I never said that I’d be the one to do anything. I was going to say that we’d have to lock Ginny in her room, otherwise she’d eat Harry alive!”

Hermione grimaced. “You’re right, for once. She probably wouldn’t be too happy. I don’t see why we’re having this discussion, though. Your sister and Harry are meant for each other; even they can see it.”

“I hope so. I don’t want to have to get in the middle of them should something horrible happen,” Ron replied as he gathered up his books. Hermione helped him straighten their table and they left the library.


Since Ron, Hermione, and Harry were all in their last year at Hogwarts, they’d allowed themselves to ease up in their schedules a bit. Well, Hermione hadn’t as much as the boys had, but she was no longer taking Muggle Studies or Ancient Runes; She’d already taken the exam for the latter, and had passed with flying colors. Muggle Studies was useless to her.

With more time free to devote to studying for the NEWTs or, as Harry and Ron insisted, having as much fun as she possibly could, Hermione was in for a year of fun and freedom. She’d declined the Head Girl position so she’d have more time to herself, and because she secretly despised the idea of having to play babysitter to the younger students. Hermione had had enough of being the older, wiser role model. She was only a teenager, after all. The rest of her life could be dedicated to being responsible.

Hermione was interrupted from her thoughts by the sound of a small, thundering stampede outside the Gryffindor common room. She sighed, and braced herself for the oncoming chaos.

The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open to allow Harry and Ron to enter. Immediately seeing Hermione sitting on one of the couches, they ran over and started going on about their latest adventure, this time involving Hagrid’s dog, Fang, toothpaste, and a shovel.

Hermione tuned out her friends’ antics. She loved them dearly, really, but sometimes they could just be too much on her nerves. There was no way she could escape for a long enough period of time so she could just relax and get away.

“… And then Hagrid caught us and gave us a week’s detention, so we can’t study tonight. We have to help him with something in the Forbidden Forrest,” Ron was saying as Hermione tuned back in.

She scowled. “You boys really have to start acting a little more mature. You’ll never get any studying done if you’re constantly serving detentions for acting like morons!”

“True, ‘Mione,” Harry grinned. “But if you wouldn’t get to feel as needed and motherly if you didn’t have us to scold. There’s no denying that you love giving us orders to follow.”

“I’m glad you’ve come to that realization, Harry,” Hermione retorted dryly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you two.”

“Oh, I know what would happen!” Ron laughed. “You’d be bloody bored!”

“Yes,” Harry chimed in. “That has to be the only reason why she associates with us, don’t you think, Ronnikins?”

“Oh, you two are just impossible!” Hermione smiled, giving them each a hug before she retreated to the safety of her shared dorm room.

“D’you think she’d have other idiots to play mother hen to if she didn’t have us?” Ron asked of Harry.

Harry looked pensive for a moment, then replied, “Probably. Hermione’s got that sort of ‘good soul’ that McGonagall’s always talking about. She’ll always need someone to look after.”

They shared a silent moment before rediscovering their energy and went bounding out the portrait once again.


Quills raced along the scrolls of parchment as Professor Snape lectured on the properties and uses of Ashwinder eggs. Hermione was having difficulty concentrating on the lesson; she had had much trouble going to sleep the night before. Only after she had taken a Sleeping Draught was she able to drift off into dreamland, but by the time she did, it had been close to morning. It was usually no matter, though, because Hermione had grown accustomed to getting less sleep than she needed. Today, however, her lack of sleep combined with her anxiousness.

Hermione was worried about what had occurred in the Great Hall only a half hour before her Potions class. Ron had become upset at Harry and Ginny for some reason, and had all but forced them to break up. Hermione sighed. Ron was becoming more thorny, lately. The topic of Harry and Ginny angered him more than anything. Hermione’s theories were not just that Ron was worried about what would happen if they broke up. She thought that, maybe, Ron was lonely, and envied their happiness.

‘Maybe I should help Ron, give him a nudge toward Luna… She’s liked him for quite a while, now… Yes, that’s what I’ll do.’ Hermione, incredibly pleased, refocused her attention on Snape’s lecture just as he was finishing his descriptions.

Soon, Professor Snape announced that class was over, and that the students could gather up their belongings and leave. Hermione, preoccupied with her things, did not notice the glare that Ron was giving Harry. Had she foreseen what was about to happen…

Alas, Hermione did not. In one swooping motion, Ron cried out, “Amordestino!” Harry’s eyes grew wide as a sudden black figure lurched in front of him, taking the spell instead of him. Professor Snape tumbled to the ground beside Hermione, who instantly kneeled down to check on him.

“Professor Snape?” Hermione said, sounding frightened.

Snape groaned and his eyelids fluttered open. As soon as he saw Hermione crouched over him, the expression on his face changed drastically from confusion to… something Hermione could not describe. Snape’s eyes went dark, yet were soft at the edges, revealing a warmth to his expression. As suddenly as this new emotion appeared on his face, Snape quickly stood up and regained his usual stoic expression.

“Miss Granger, Potter, Weasley… My office, now.”

Snape swooped into his chair behind his large, ornate desk while the Trio sat across from him in uncomfortable straight-backed wooden chairs.

“Mr. Weasley, I shall assume that you were attempting to cast the Amordesino spell to end any love Mr. Potter feels for your sister, am I correct?” Snape’s voice was lethal. Hermione shivered; she could almost feel its acidic quality through her skin to her bones.

“Y-yes, P-professor Snape, s-sir,” Ron whimpered. He knew he was in for it.

“Mr. Weasley, the spell that you cast is in fact the exact opposite of what you intended to cast. Fortunately for you,” Snape said, staring at a spot on Ron’s forehead, “ I am not feeling any of the intended effects, so I will take a mere one hundred and fifty points from Gryffindor for attempting to cast a harmful spell on a fellow student. Even if it is,” he spat, “Potter. Miss Granger, keep an eye on your idiot friends in the future, or else I may find it necessary to punish the fool who fails to prevent a similar accident from occurring.”

“Of course, Professor Snape,” Hermione said, barely loud enough to her. She lifted her eyes from the carpet in time to notice the look that Snape was giving her. Was that… No, it couldn’t have been. Snape would never leer like that at a student, even one that was of age.

“The three of you are dismissed.”

After the Gryffindors left, Severus leaned back in his leather chair and let out a loud groan. He had managed to fool the two saintly idiots, but there was no denying that Miss Granger had caught on. If she hadn’t, she certainly would, and no doubt very quickly.

Professor Severus Snape, resident Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was in love with Hermione Granger, resident Insufferable Know-It-All, and there wasn’t a single thing he could do about it.


- - - - -
Author’s Note: I’ll say right now that this plot bunny only started seriously hopping around my head about two or three hours ago, so I hope I don’t mess this up… I know the whole botched spell/potion thing has been done before, so I know I won’t be getting any points for originality. This was entirely based on impulse.

Apocalyptica is a rock group unlike any other. They play rock ranging from heavy metal to (almost) soft rock, and they do it with cellos. Entirely with cellos. It’s amazing; most of the time it sounds like they’re playing regular electric guitars and basses. They’re not amateurs, either. They were classically trained musicians, so they really do know their stuff. If you haven’t heard any of their music, I suggest you check them out.

I’m not pretending to be an expert on Latin, either. I just used an online translator.

Amor : Love, affection, infatuation, passion
Destino: To fasten down, make fast.
Desino: To leave off, give over, cease, stop, end, desist.

Due to my lack of discipline, there likely won’t be more than two or three additional chapters to this story. There may be more, but it honestly depends on feedback. I’m not blackmailing you for reviews, but they help keep me going. If you’d like to see this story continue, REVIEW. If not, this story will end when and how I want it to.

Thanks.