I\'ll Forget You

A/N: First, I would like to say that I\'m so sorry that it has taken me so long to update this story. Second, I would like to thank everyone who is reading it, reviewed, and continues to read it. It is greatly appreciated. I also thank my beta, snapeaholic, for doing a wonderful job beta-ing the story. I do promise to finish this WIP. Also, updates of this WIP and my others can be found at livejournal under the name: cassie_snape.


Chapter Nine: Important Decisions

Severus’ eyes fluttered open as he shifted in the bed and found the sheets beside him to be cold. He quickly sat up. Had it been just a dream? His eyes swiftly raced around the room. No, she had been here, but now she was gone. He stood up and searched the tables, hoping to find a note, anything that would say why she left. Nothing.

“Damn her!” he cursed as he pounded his fists on the bed. She had left him again. He shouldn’t have given into her. She was bad news, and yet he had allowed himself to be seduced by that bushy-haired vixen again. “Damn her!” he said again as he pulled on his black pants and went into his laboratory. He would never again do anything for her. Rashly, he decided to destroy the potion he had been making. She had asked him to do it, but he was not going to listen to her again.

“That little bitch!” he hissed as he picked up a vial to launch it against the wall. “I won’t make this potion for her!” He pulled his arm back to throw it when he remembered what kind of potion it was and who it was really meant to benefit. It was tempting to destroy it all, but he could only see Remus being locked away like an animal once a month. Remus had been rather friendly to him, even when most others hadn’t, and especially when he had accused Remus of things that he didn’t do. He sighed and slowly lowered the vial onto the table. He would do this for his friend. He hesitated slightly at the thought of having a friend, but it was about time. He could afford to have a friend, especially as it had been years since Voldemort died.

He snatched up his notes and began to pace as he perused them. In the back of his mind, he kept telling himself that this was for Remus instead of Hermione. He would have to forget her. She had wasted too much of his time as it was.

Stopping suddenly, he placed the notes on the table and leaned over them as he began to write various data that he had experienced in the process of the potion. He was leaning so close to the parchment that his nose almost touched it. As soon as he had started writing, he stopped and straightened up. It could be that simple, he pondered as he realized that he had found the solution. It would need to be tested, but he knew that Remus would be willing to try it. He had work to do now as he had just figured out how to make the potion to cure lycanthropy. He just hoped that it would be finished in time.

* * * * *

Hermione had not slept much since Ron had left the flat. She didn’t know what to do exactly, despite the fact that she felt more rational than last night. Her marriage was beyond saving. She just couldn’t love Ron the way he deserved to be loved, so it was no wonder he had gone and found somebody else. Then, there was Severus. She still loved him. There was no one like him, but she didn’t know if he would take her back. She wasn’t even certain if she wanted him to take her back. Perhaps she should be alone for a while to get her own life straightened out. It was all so complicated, and it frustrated her that she couldn’t pick up a book to figure out the solution to her problems. She decided to go and talk to her friends. It was the only way she could come up with the right decision.

After getting ready, she left and went to the Ministry of Magic first. She figured that Harry would be there, or at least she hoped that he would be. After half an hour and asking numerous people, she finally found him at the practice range. “Harry!” she called out and waved.

Harry was quickly going through the course, destroying various dummies with his wand. He turned when he heard the voice and had to stop himself from calling out another destructive spell towards his friend. “Hi, ‘Mione. What brings you here?” He didn’t think that she would need him as a witness or anything like that. He then chuckled. “And, you might want to be careful sneaking up on a guy when he’s destroying things.” He went over and gave her a hug. “Is something wrong?” He noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes.

She gave him a small smile as she returned the hug. “I needed to talk to you for a little bit. Do you have time?”

“Of course I do,” he said as he took her hand and led her to a more private spot. He motioned for her to sit down as he took a seat. “What is it?”

She sat down as she tried to think about what to say to him. She knew that Ron was his best friend. “Harry, I really need to talk, and I ask for you to be nonjudgmental…well, as nonjudgmental as you can.” He nodded, and she continued. “Ron and I have been having marital problems. I caught him with another woman, and instead of confronting him about it, I left and was with another man. We had a big argument, and I think that our marriage has…failed.” It was very hard for her to say the word ‘failed’ as it had always been an enormous fear of hers to fail at anything.

He listened as she spoke. His green eyes briefly flashed in anger when he found out that Ron was cheating on Hermione. He didn’t know, and he was Ron’s best friend. Then, he heard what she had done. A soft sigh fell from his lips. He had hoped that things would work out between Ron and Hermione, but even he had his doubts. It seemed that he was right. “Does he love the woman he has been with?”

“I think he does,” she said sadly.

“Do you love the man that you were with?” She nodded. “Then, both of you should get divorced. If you are not with the one that you love, then there’s no point in staying together.” He wasn’t the best person to give advice, especially advice of this kind. He wasn’t even married, after all.

She began to chew on her lower lip. “Perhaps we should. It’s just hard to let go. Are you angry about this?”

He gave her a smile as he made her look at him. “I’m not overly happy that my two best friends aren’t happy together, but I love you both, no matter what you do.” He just hoped that Hermione and Ron could be friends after all of this.

She smiled. “Thank you, Harry. I love you too.” She gave him a hug. Since she was an only child, he was like the brother she never had.

“You’re welcome,” he said as he returned the hug. “I need to get back to work. Okay?”

She nodded and stood up. “I’ll see you later.” He nodded, and she turned around and left the Ministry of Magic. Her single friend had said that she should get a divorce, but she still wanted to consult her married friends, Ginny and Draco. She just hoped that she could avoid Severus while she was at Hogwarts. She wasn’t ready to see him until she was more certain about things. She apparated just outside of Hogwarts and went up to the castle and straight to Ginny’s quarters. She hoped that they were a bit more decent than the last time. She knocked on the door.

Draco went and opened the door. “Back again, Granger? What is it this time?”

She slightly rolled her eyes. “Hello to you too, Draco. Is Ginny here?”

He shook his head. “She’s teaching her class. She should be finished soon, though. Want to come in?” She nodded, and he moved aside to let her pass.

She gave him a smile and took a seat. “I wouldn’t mind talking to you and getting your opinion, Draco.”

“On what?” he inquired as he sat across from her. It wasn’t every day that the Know-It-All would ask for someone else’s opinion, especially when she always seemed to have her own.

“Hypothetically, what would you do if you found out that Ginny cheated on you?”

His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? Do you know something that I don’t?”

She quickly shook her head. “No, no! I didn’t mean to imply that she was! She loves you. She wouldn’t do that. I was just wondering what advice you would give to someone that knew that her…I mean, their spouse had cheated.”

“Is this about you and Ron? Ginny told me that he’s been cheating on you and that you found out.”

She let out a sigh and nodded. “Yes, it is.”

“Divorce him,” he said simply. “He cheated on you, and he’s been doing it for months.” He then acted like it was hard to say the next part. “You…you deserve better than that, even if you are a Mudblood.”

She didn’t know if that was a compliment or not. “Er…thanks. I think.”

“Well, before Ginny, I never gave any thought to cheating. I didn’t love anyone either. Now, I couldn’t even imagine doing it to her,” Draco said honestly.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Ginny said as she had just entered and heard what Draco had said to Hermione. “Hi, Hermione. Still trying to figure out what to do?”

She nodded to her friend. “Yes, I am. What do you think, Ginny? Should I divorce Ron?”

Ginny thought about it. “Well, mum will be a bit upset that things didn’t work out, but she’ll want you two to be happy, and you aren’t happy together. In the end, I think you should do what your heart tells you to do.”

Hermione nodded. Ginny was right. She could listen to people’s opinions, but in the end, she had to decide for herself. “I want Ron to be happy, and I want to be happy. We should get divorced,” she decided. This was a very important decision, but it had to be made. She would also have to draw up the paperwork. She hoped that this could be done quickly. It would just be easier for both of them.

Ginny went over and gave her friend a hug. “I know this is hard, but it is for the best.”

Hermione nodded in agreement. “Did you see Severus this morning?” she asked.

Ginny shook her head. “He wasn’t at breakfast, and rumor has it that he cancelled his classes for the day.” She shrugged. “I’ve never heard him do that before.”

Hermione frowned. She hadn’t either. She began to feel slightly sick to her stomach with guilt and worry. Every urge in her body told her to go and find him. She wanted to be certain he was alright, but she couldn’t do that. She needed to work things out with Ron and the divorce before she saw Severus. She needed to know more of where she stood on things, and as of now, she still didn’t even know if she should attempt things with Severus, or if he would even have her. He hadn’t wanted her before, and she was afraid he wouldn’t want her again. She stood up. “I have to go. Thank you for letting me talk to you two.” She left without even waiting for them to say anything else. She forced herself not to go down to the dungeons as she left Hogwarts and apparated to her law office. She would draw up the divorce papers and have a lawyer friend that she knew work things out. She just wished that she knew what to do about Severus now that she knew what she was doing about Ron. That important decision would just have to wait.

A/N: Please review! It\'s greatly appreciated!