Snape's Match

Lia sneaked into the Gryffindor girls’ dormitory at about two in the morning, still thanking her lucky stars she hadn’t run into Filch on her way up.


“Keep it discreet” Dumbledore had said.


Well that’s what she was doing, wasn’t it? Lia drew her four-poster’s hangings closed and stretched out, still fully clothed, and soon enough sank into a light sleep. She didn’t notice that she had not been the only girl awake. Hermione rolled over in her bed, wondering where Lia had been.



Lia yawned and stumbled her way through the morning’s classes. In answer to Harry and Ron’s teasing comments and questions, she would only reply “If you had a four hour detention with Snape breathing down your neck the whole time, you’d be dead too.”


They took her at her word; laughing over the events of the newly infamous Potions class clash the previous day, but Hermione said nothing. She was determined not to say anything unless she found out something that confirmed her suspicions that Lia was hiding the real story. Surprisingly for her, Lia kept her mouth shut in Potions - whipping up the potion Snape (looking equally tired, Hermione noticed) had set them with consummate ease, barely looking at the cauldron, and then whiling away the rest of the lesson hexing Malfoy from behind his back.


What is going on? thought Hermione, and when Lia hung back after the bell rang for lunch, her friend guiltily hid herself outside the door and listened in.


“Did you get back to the Tower alright last night, Lia?” Snape’s voice.


“Yeah, I think so Severus, I’m sure nobody saw me – which is no small feat in this crowded castle.”


That was Lia. Since when had they been on first name terms? Hermione listened on through her shock.


“I’ve arranged to see Dumbledore tonight, so don’t worry about those dreams any more – I’m sure there’s a rational explanation.”


Snape sounded troubled underneath his reassuring words. Hermione heard Lia sigh, and speculated whether she could risk a peek around the door.


“I hope so, they always tired me out when I had them and I have an essay for Astronomy you stopped me from finishing last night to do.” Lia sounded…was it playful?


“So conscientious…” murmured Snape.


Hermione had never heard his voice purr quite so silkily – he sounded genuinely amused.


Lia gave a muffled giggle. Hermione finally screwed up the courage to press her eye to the crack between the door and its frame – spotting Lia in Snape’s arms.


As Hermione watched, completely dumbfounded, Snape raised Lia’s chin with his hand and kissed her. Hermione felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up - she’d never seen anybody kiss like that. Granted, she hadn’t seen many people kissing, but this was something else…her hand slipped on the doorjamb. The couple on the other side of the door broke apart.


“What was that?”


“I’m sure it was nothing, love, but you’d better go anyway – your fellow Gryffindor agitators will be missing you at the lunch table.”


Lia nodded in agreement and blew him a kiss as she picked up her bag. Snape stood quite still in his class after she’d left the classroom, savoring the gesture, but Lia did not notice – she’d walked straight into Hermione.



Lia went white as she realised what her stunned-looking friend would have overheard, but had enough presence of mind to drag her into an empty classroom. Not a moment to soon, as it turned out.


Hermione could barely speak.


“Lia, you - you and Snape and…why? How?” She collected herself somewhat.


“What in the name of Merlin is going on?!”


Lia pushed her into a seat.


“If you’re looking for an apology for –“ she blushed, “for my relationship with Snape, then you’re not going to get it. But I will say sorry for not telling you earlier.”


She suddenly sank into a chair opposite, looking more tired than Hermione had ever seen her.


“I wanted to, Merlin knows I did, but I was so afraid you’d look at me and react the way you are now. I didn’t want to lose you as a friend.” Lia dashed several tears away angrily. “I’m actually glad you found out, but maybe not in this way. It must have been a bit of a shock.”


Hermione gave her a weak smile.


“I’ll say. It’s just…why Snape? What’s so, so, attractive about him?”


Lia laughed wryly.


“I’m not actually sure. I just know that every time he gets near me, or every time he says something I shiver all over –“ She broke off, shaking her head.


“Lia, that’s not attraction, that’s the normal reaction to his presence.” Hermione’s voice took on an ironic tinge.


“Yeah,” acknowledged Lia, laughter in her voice, “but there’s also the way I want to be with him constantly and the way I admire every single stupid thing he says or does…” She turned helpless eyes on her mesmerized friend. “I’m caught up pretty heavily.”


Hermione’s voice was tentative. “Do you love him?”


“Yes! Though I suppose it would less complicated for both of us if I didn’t.”


Lia studied Hermione’s impassive face. “Dumbledore approves, if that makes it any more acceptable to you, Herm.”


“Dumbledore knows?” Hermione looked as though any more shocks would knock her over.


“I know! I was as surprised as you are when he mentioned it. I was sure I was going to be expelled, or that Severus was going to be fired, but he just told me not to spread it around – like I was going to do that anyway.”


“So that was what that meeting was really about! I wondered,” Hermione remembered. “And all those nights in detention…”


“Well the first one was pretty bad, but the second one was when we sort of…you know, ‘acknowledged our feelings’ and stuff.”


“The night you didn’t come back from your walk? And last night?” Hermione persisted.


“Oh, Merlin, I had no idea you saw me last night. Well, I spent those two nights with – with Severus.”


Lia blushed yet again but kept her expression defiant, as though daring Hermione to judge her. To her relief, Hermione appeared to be not too upset.


“Suppose if you’re going to have an affair with a teacher you might as well do it properly,” she said, displaying a dry sense of humour Lia had not really expected from her.


“But if someone ever finds out - ” Hermione’s voice had returned to the apprehensive squeak she only used when discussing breaking rules.


“Well,” prevaricated Lia, “If you don’t tell anyone, I won’t. And Severus is too busy upholding his reputation as the most biased and insufferable teacher Hogwarts has ever had.”


Hermione laughed. “Fine then, I won’t tell anybody. Could you imagine Harry and Ron’s faces? It’s so funny how you keep calling him Severus, you know.”


“I have to keep catching myself when talking about him, you know,” snorted Lia, “people would get suspicious if I went around calling him that.”


“Come on, lunch is almost over, and you still haven’t mentioned those dreams you keep having?” Hermione rose.


“Oh those, well, I’m not sure if they mean anything…”


As they walked up to the Great Hall, Lia telling Hermione about all the dreams that had plagued her since before Hogwarts, she realised she was glad to have a confidante. I wonder what Dumbledore will think of the dreams when Severus tells him about them tonight? she thought. Harry and Ron beckoned from the Gryffindor table and she put it from her mind.
Parvati stopped chatting to Lavender Brown to tap Lia on the shoulder. She winked.


“We’re doing it tonight, just thought you’d want to know.”


Lia and Hermione both struggled to keep their dread under control.


“Are you sure it’s wise? We could end up in a lot of pain and trouble.”


“Don’t worry about a thing,” Parvati answered, “everything is taken care of. We won’t get into any trouble, but we have to do it the Muggle way so it might be painful.”


The two girls nodded. “OK. Tonight then.”


Harry and Ron had been watching this exchange with increasingly mystified looks on their faces.


“Lia –“


“Hermione –“


“What’s happening tonight? What do you have to do the Muggle way?”


Lia tapped her nose infuriatingly. “You’ll see tomorrow morning, but until then it’s a secret!”


Ron looked appealingly at Hermione but she simply shook her head at the table, looking slightly green.
The bell rang for the end of lunch and Lia dragged a still-grumbling Ron out of his seat and towards Transfiguration.