Back to Life

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Chapter Twelve


“Please tell me that you fixed the windows.” Hermione looked over to see Severus leaning lazily in her doorway.


Frowning she looked at the time. “Yes, I did. Was dinner…?”


“Two hours ago,” he told her. “What pray tell are you working on?”


She closed her work folder. “I was looking over the names of the therapists that are being considered for the job here at the school and checking their qualifications.” Putting the paperwork away, she said, “So far I’ve sent out several owls to verify the VCs of ten of them. It’s turning out to be an arduous task to be sure. But I don’t want idiots coming into the school with this idea in their heads that these students are meant to help their careers rather than them healing the students.” She stood up stretching. “I’ll be giving the final list for you to make the choices of course.”


He nodded, watching her as she closed up her papers and warded her desk. Hermione closed the door, warding it and stopped when she saw that he was watching her intently. “What?”


He walked over to her, caressing her face. “You are truly a good person.”


“I do the best as I can,” she murmured. “It’s all any of us can do.” Hermione reached up, caressing her knuckles over his jaw line. “And contrary to what you may think, you are a good person as well.”


He leaned down so that his forehead was pressed to her temple. “How can you say that?”


“Easy, Severus,” she sighed. “Because it’s true.”


***


Hermione ate in contented silence, as Severus sat reading next to her. She looked over to the door to the private chambers when she felt an odd energy coming off of it.


“Someone is trying to break the wards,” he muttered, standing up with his wand at the ready.


Hermione worried her lip as she tried to think of who would be foolish enough to try to break into any of the professor’s private chambers. Only one name came to mind. Rolling her eyes, she went over and opened the door just as Ron Weasley came rushing it in the hopes of breaking it down this time with his shoulder. He went flying across the room and straight into a bronze statue that only went as far up as the young wizard’s groin.


“That wasn’t there before,” Hermione said casually as they both watched as Ron was grabbing his crotch and fell to his knees, eyes rolling into the back of his head.


“I put it there,” Severus murmured.


Hermione made a soft nearly silent comment of, “I wish I had thought of that.” Turning to face him, she went on with, “Something tells me that this is one of those gifts that keeps on giving.”


Ron’s eyes then rolled completely into the back of his head as he passed out cold.


“I do believe you’re correct, my dear,” Severus murmured. “Go back to eat, would you?”


“In a minute,” she replied, looking around the rooms they were in as well as the dining area. Spinning around quickly, she snapped out, “Impedimenta!” The ripple of the invisibility cloak gave the person away as the tripped and stumbled. “Incarcerous!”


Ropes rushed out and bound the person steadfastly as Hermione walked over slowly to where they were. She ripped back the hood and found Dean Thomas glaring at her. Sighing heavily, she looked over to Severus.


“What were you doing using Harry’s invisibility cloak and Ron to break into these rooms?” she asked him quietly.


He didn’t say anything as he was avoiding Hermione’s gaze.


“You’re angry,” she said sounding sad. “We all are in different ways. Are you still trying to pull things back to the way they were before the war?” He looked to her sharply. “Why so shocked? I know I would love to think that my parents were back home, contemplating a vacation to someplace sunny. A beach more than likely as my mother couldn’t seem to get enough of them.”


“Who cares…?”


“My parents are dead,” she told him. “They were killed in Australia by Death Eaters.”


Frowning he whispered, “I didn’t know.”


“Not many do.” Severus laid his hand on her shoulder in a silent show of support. “Were either of your parents hurt or killed?”


He nodded. “My dad was killed and mum was hurt badly. She’s still at St. Mungo’s.”


“I’m sorry to hear that,” she murmured.


“Why are you helping them at all?” Dean demanded. “All they’ve try to do is hurt or kill us!”


Hermione thought it over a moment. “Have you ever thought about how the past influences the future?” When he blinked at her with a rather blank look on his face this only had her smiling. “Of course not. But can you do something for me now? Can you think of past events with objectivity? I’m not asking you to change your opinion, but at least step back and to think about what I’m talking about?”


“Yes,” he murmured, unsure as to what he was agreeing to.


“When magic was first discovered by muggles, it was abhorred. It was thought as evil, resulting in whom they thought as witches and wizards being put to death. Laws were developed to protect the wizarding world, but even so that fear remained within the magicking community. That was just the beginning though. Retaliations were dealt out, causing muggle born witches and wizards to want to strike back. It’s a wicked circle, Dean.” Hermione studied his face. “It’s been going on since the dawn of time it feels like some days. But if it is ever to change, it must start here with us. Because with the way we are going, neither side will live through the next round.” She went to her knees in front of him, taking his hands into her own. “Revenge solves nothing, Dean. And the anger only warps you into what you hate the most, them.”


Dean sobbed. “I can’t…I can’t be their friends!”


“You don’t have to be,” she murmured, reaching up and stroking his hair. “But don’t be their enemy either. It’ll kill you inside and turn you as black hearted as the worst of them.”


“I thought…making it out alive was enough. But my parents are gone. My dad is dead and my mother might as well be!”


Hermione untied him, taking him into her arms. Rocking him, she quietly told him the only thing that could heal was time. And if he didn’t give it to himself, he would end up more hurt than before. She pulled back from him, pulling him to his feet as she walked him to the door.


“I’ll expect you to be at the counseling sessions,” she murmured to him. “You don’t have to speak, but it might help to attend.”


Clearing his throat he said, “I was going to put this potion into your food. It would have only made you sick to your stomach.” He swallowed deeply. “I didn’t want to hurt you. Not really. I only wanted to make you ill so that you would stop helping them!”


“I figured as much, Dean,” she whispered, sounding disappointed. “Don’t do it again or I won’t be able to stop the consequences of your actions next time.”


Nodding, he turned and rushed away with Ron on his heels, looking ready to chew him a new one.


Without saying a word, Hermione went over to Severus and slipped into his arms. He said nothing as he held her as she wept silently.


***

It's time for the Review Sing-A-Long! The answer to the last one was "The Globe" by Big Audio Dynamite or B.A.D. I love that song. Fudge pops go out to Jade and lilashannah! If I missed you, I'm sorry.

Here's the next song. "Reviews/they don't mean a thing to you/they move right through you/just like your breath" That's it. Sorry no hints this time. Again it isn't because I don't think it's a difficult one, but more out of the fact that I can't come up with a single one. Thanks for reading and have a great day!