Trial and Error

Not mine (save a few characters). Wish it was. Just having fun with the Potterverse.

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Hermione stared at Severus for a long moment without saying anything. Surely she hadn\'t heard him correctly. \'Snape...loves me? I must still be dreaming!\' She pinched her arm hard and let out a yelp.

Severus, who had not taken his eyes off of the ceiling, looked down at her.
\"What is it?\"

\"Nothing...I, um...was just thinking.\"

Severus noticed now that Hermione\'s cheeks were red with embarrassment and instantly regretted say saying anything.

\"Hermione, I\'m sorry. I should not have told you tha-\"

\"No, no it\'s fine,\" Hermione was feeling very uncomfortable, \"um...thank you for, uh...saying that?\" She was completely lost; what do you say to someone who has just professed their love for you? \'I love you too, but I\'m not about to say that to him. I hardly know him!\'

Severus looked at her sadly. He cursed himself for blurting out something so potentially harmful.

\"No, Hermione. I had no right to say that to you. When I found out what your dream was, I couldn\'t help it. I can\'t STAND the thought of you with that werewolf!\" his voice was rising and his fists were clenching.

Hermione gasped.

\"Severus, I thought you cared about Remus. You and I have been trying to find a cure for him. How can you talk about him like he is an inhuman beast?\" Hermione\'s voice was raising, too, and Severus knew he was on dangerous ground.

\"I\'m sorry. I can\'t stand the thought of you with Remus,\" he said, emphasizing the name.

\"Why have you never talked about this before? I thought I was an \'insufferable-know-it-all\'?\" She looked at him curiously.

\"I never said you weren\'t,\" he smiled slightly.

\"Then why-\"

\"Hermione, I don\'t know how or why I feel this way,\" he said, his voice sounding defeated, \"all I know is in the past several days, I\'ve been seeing you much differently than I have seen any girl--woman--in all my life.\"

Hermione looked at him with wide eyes and her mouth hung open slightly.

They both stared at each other until the silence was too deafening for Hermione to handle.

\"Severus, does Remus feel this way about me too? Is that why I had that dream?\"

Severus looked at her sharply at the mention of Remus, but quickly softened his gaze.

\"Yes, Hermione. Lupin does have feelings for you very similar to mine. That\'s why I said--what I said. Again, I am sorry for upsetting you. I will understand perfectly if you no longer wish to research with me...\" he looked at her with trepidation.

Hermione bit her lower lip in concentration. What was she to do? It would no doubtedly be strange to work alongside him now that she knew how he felt for her. But did his feelings really bother her? She was shocked that Remus had such feelings for her, too. She must have been quiet for too long, because Severus suddenly cleared his throat and stood up to his full height.

\"I am going to check on the children, Miss Granger. I will send a house elf to you with breakfast and then head to the lab. Good day.\"

And with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. Hermione sat with her mouth open wondering what had just transpired and how to sort it all out.

A house elf came with her breakfast a few minutes later and after she ate, she went back to her rooms, grabbed a roll of parchment from her desk, and began to write.

****

Harry woke up with a slight twinge in his forehead. He reached up and rubbed the lightning bolt scar and winced, trying desperately to remember the dream he had had. There had been a small figure, like a short man, aiming a wand at him, Harry, and muttering something unintelligible. There was a beam of purple light coming towards him and then it stopped. There was a person on the ground in front of him---no, an animal. Harry rubbed his head harder, trying to force the dream back into it. \"What was it?\" Hedwig, who had been sleeping with her head tucked beneath her wing, looked at him with one bleary eye and hooted softly to him. He gave up on the dream and walked over to her cage. He opened a container he kept cereal in and handed her a few Cheerios. She ate them happily and then stretched out her wings and looked longingly out of the window.

\"You were gone for two days straight and you want to go out again? Very well.\" Harry opened the window and the door to Hedwig\'s cage. She nipped his fingers gently in thanks and flew out into the lightening sky.

Harry, deciding it would be pointless to go back to bed, reached under it and pulled out the photo book Hagrid had given him. He turned to the page that had his parent\'s wedding photos and smile sadly at the dark haired man who had been his godfather. Tears started stinging his eyes and he brushed them away hurriedly. Even though there was no one to see, he didn\'t like the thought of crying over a picture.

He put the album away and got dressed. He walked downstairs quietly, as to not wake up Dudley. Uncle Vernon was already awake, since his company had received a huge order and everyone had to work more hours to keep up with everything. Harry walked into the kitchen and Vernon (who had been reading the paper over a cup of coffee) jumped slightly. He was afraid to say or do anything that might bring that crazy-eyed freak to his house.

Harry walked past him and to the fridge, but before he opened the door, he heard a loud screeching coming from upstairs. It was quite obviously owls and Harry ran as fast as he could up the stairs to his room. Hedwig was on the window sill screeching furiously at an intruder--which happened to be a barn owl-- and Harry had to grab her and stuff her back into her cage before the other owl could come in.

\"Hedwig, what\'s gotten into you? Owls bring ne letters all the time.\" Hedwig continued shrieking and Harry shook his head in wonderment before turning to the newcomer. The barn owl stuck out its leg to which a letter was attached and waited patiently for Harry to untie it. Once freed of its burden, the owl flew off and Harry opened Hedwig\'s cage again.

\"I thought you wanted outside. Why did you come back so soon?\" He questioned his owl which was looking at him mutinously. When Harry reached for the letter now on his bed, Hedwig started screeching again and she flew over to the bed and on top of the letter.

\"Hedwig! Really! Get off of my--OW! HEDWIG! You bugger of an owl!\" Harry jumped back and nursed his bleeding fingers. He glared at Hedwig who was ruffled up in unmistakable anger. She reached between her scaly legs and took the letter in her beak. Without a backwards glance, she flew outside for the second time. Harry jumped up but was too late. She was almost out of sight with the unread letter.

\"Damn bird. What\'s happened to her?\" A picture of Crookshanks attacking Scabbers came to his mind and Harry opened his eyes wide in dawning comprehension and horror.

**

Several blocks away, a Muggle woman was weeding her garden when the sight of a snowy owl caught her attention. It appeared to have something in its beak. Curiously, she watched as the owl let the object fall to the ground in the middle of a nearby yard. She walked towards it, but the owl suddenly swooped down on her. Alarmed, she jumped back and the paper on the ground exploded with a deafening BANG! and left a crater the size of hot tub in her neighbor\'s yard. A small piece of the parchment was drifting back to the ground. She composed herself and caught it. It was badly charred, but she could still make out the words on it:

Four times you escaped me. Four times you made me look a fool. But not this time. I will win. Lord Voldemort ALWAYS wins in the end.
Sweet Dreams, Harry Potter.

The woman gasped. This bomb was meant to kill this man, this Harry Potter, whoever he was.

And indeed, she had no idea who the boy was since the Dursleys made it a point to pretend he didn\'t exist.

Hedwig sat on a telephone pole and watched as the woman went back into her house with the piece of paper. She then flew to the crater and retrieved the remains of the envelope and flew back to Harry\'s window.

****

Two hours later, Harry was still stroking Hedwig and thanking her over and over for what she did and apologising profusely for acting the was he did towards her. He was shocked that Voldemort would try and kill him that way. \"I guess as long as the curse was made by him, he doesn\'t have to be near me to kill me.\" It was a horrible thought, one that kept his mind so busy, he didn\'t even notice the eagle owl that swept into his rooms. A light hoot brought his attention to the bird and he jumped back quickly and made for the door, but Hedwig hooted gently at him and he calmed back down.

The owl held out its letter and looked at him curiously. After Harry untied this letter, he handed the owl a treat and it flew out the window.

Harry held the letter out to Hedwig. \"Are you sure it\'s okay?\"

She hooted reassuringly and Harry turned it over to be greeted by Hermione\'s seal for him. He and Ron were the only ones she made seals for since the fingerprint of the recipient was needed to create it. \"Finally! I thought you had forgotten me!\" He pushed his thumb onto the wax cauldron and the envelope opened. Inside was a small bit of parchment with Hermione\'s tiny scrawl.

Dear Harry,

I hope you are alright. Professor Snape and I have finished one potion and we are waiting to see if it works. Professor Lupin brought two young werewolves with him. Their parents are dead--killed by Voldemort (Harry noted with pride that \"You-know-who\" had been scratched out). They are so adorable.

I have to run, Harry, but please write back to me.

Love from,

Hermione

p.s. The oddest thing happened here. Crookshanks turned up and I have no idea how. Funny, isn\'t it?

Harry read the first part of the letter over and over again. \"Their parents are dead--killed by Voldemort\" Harry shook his head in sorrow for the children. He hoped they had had a chance to at least get to know their parents.

Harry put the letter in a drawer in his desk and wrote a reply:

Hermione,

It\'s good to hear from you! How\'s the bat treating you? If he does anything more nasty than usual, let me know and I\'ll come over there and put him right! Or maybe I\'ll ask Hagrid if I can borrow a blast ended skrewt to put in his closet...

Anyway, good luck with the potion. I hope it works the first time. You\'re smart. It probably will work.

Have you asked your mum about Crookshanks? Maybe she sent him to keep you company? I really don\'t know.

Well, see you later!

Harry rolled up the letter, attached it to Hedwig\'s leg, gave her yet another hug of gratitude and sent her on her way. He closed his window and sat down on his bed and began to smile. The Dursleys would be so disappointed if they found out that he had almost been blown to smithereens by the darkest wizard of all time...


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I hope you all haven\'t given up on me. The concert went well, for those of you who are wondering... I will try to update more frequently. Hugs to all!!!
-Gwen




Harry