Lendoren

Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. The story has been written by Kelokelo, and translated by Ezilda. And I thank Tanit for betaing this chapter.

Chapter 16 : Various explanations

The next lesson was History of Magic. Maybe Hermione would tell her friends about what worried her? Harry had seen on her face an expressiveness which reminded him of the one she had at the beginning of the year, when she had understood she was a Lendoren. Ron didn’t attend Potions lessons so he didn’t know what had happened there, and so he remained puzzled in front of Hermione and Harry’s both behaviours.

“Hermione?” Harry asked softly. “What happened during Potions?”

“I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life Harry. This is what happened!”

They goggled at her, all the more when Hermione blushed while she explained to them:

“I’m warning you, the first who jeers, will sustain the same fate as Malfoy, is that clear ?”

Their eyes clouded to this reminder. She had told them about what had happened the day before, and they have been disgusted about Malfoy’s behaviour to the same extent that they have been impressed by Hermione’s new powers. They shook their head together, worried by this threat. What would she tell them this time?

“For a few weeks, I’ve been… attracted to… Snape,” she finished in a whisper.

“Attracted to…” Ron began to shout out. Hermione had just the time to muzzle him before he uttered Snape’s name.

“That’s it, Ron” she hissed, “why don’t you put a notice on my back while you’re at it?”

“Attracted… hem… what do you mean Hermione?” Harry asked in an anguished tone. It couldn’t be what he was thinking, could it?

She rolled her eyes in front of so much incomprehension. And he was Ginny’s boyfriend! And they widely took advantage of her empty flat’s bedroom, and not to do their homework…

“Attracted, like Ginny can be attracted to you! Do you want a drawing, Harry?” she snapped.

Two jawbones unhooked simultaneously and they looked at each other horrified. They didn’t know what to say. Were they talking about her friend? Did she remember how Snape had them suffered for six years? They could understand that Snape looked more seductive, but… to be attracted to him…

“And… you took notice this morning,” Harry said in a jerky voice.

“No, knucklehead. I’m saying to you that I’ve known this for a few weeks. However, I told it to Erwin this morning, while we were preparing Polyjuice potion, because I thought that it would prompt him to organise a meeting between us…”

“So?” Harry asked curious, when she halted.

“Finally… Erwin is… Snape,” she concluded in a blow. She was on the verge of tears.

Harry and Ron looked at each other: they found it difficult to realise Hermione’s Lendoren companion was Snape. Harry asked Hermione for confirmation, because it began to be too much to process in only one day:

“Snape… is your Lendoren companion?”

Harry prayed he had misunderstood, but to their greatest horror, she nodded. They both took their head between their hands. How could they cheer up her? They wouldn’t have wished that, even to their worst enemy.

“I haven’t said everything, boys…”

Their heads simultaneously got up. They were already white. Whatever worse could happen?

“Before he said to me that it was him, he was stunned that I called him, while I was in class according to him. Of course, I was in front of him, preparing my potion. And I told him the potion wasn’t a problem because I did it during my second year… besides, I admitted that I took ingredients from Snape’s cupboard, I mean… his cupboard.”

They had reached the worst. They were dead. Snape would never forgive them. They didn’t even know how they finished the lesson and found themselves in the corridor. Hermione decided right away that she wouldn’t have lunch the Great Hall. Merlin, all her teachers were in the know! She would have a stroll on the grounds. Anyway, she wasn’t really hungry.

Harry simply told her he would send her Ginny. She couldn’t stay alone.

When Ginny came back to eat with Harry and Ron, she was astonished to notice that they hadn’t eaten. They stayed weighed down in front of the full plates.

“What happened?” she worried. “Where’s Hermione?”

“Outside,” Harry said with an extinguished voice. “Take some food for her, but I doubt she will manage to eat anything. She will tell you everything. It’s tragic, Ginny!”

When Hermione had told her everything, Ginny had to sit down. She was nearly thinking that Harry was right. On the other hand, when Hermione told her how she had called him an idiot and the dungeons’ nightmare in the same sentence, she couldn’t keep a nervous laughter which she transmitted to Hermione. She’d have liked to see his face at that very time! This laughter had the advantage to relax Hermione a little.

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In the Great Hall, Ron and Harry’s despair and Hermione’s absence had been scoped by several persons: Severus of course, but also Professor Dumbledore and Professor Gryffin.

“Troubles, Severus? ” Gryffin asked.

“Yes and no, Arlin,” Severus said slowly.

After few silent minutes, Arlin said quietly:

“Severus What do you know about Hermione’s absence, Potter and Weasley’s faces, and Potter’s girlfriend’s haste to go. Well, she’s also Hermione’s best friend?”

“Potter and Weasley brooded over a chapter in their life in which they had broken an impressive number of rules, which should have caused their expulsion from this school. Hermione now knows who I am and so I imagine she’s somewhere in this castle crying about her fate. Besides she has called me an idiot and the dungeons’ nightmare, and nearly invoked a hurricane in my classroom. I also think Potter told the Weasley girl where she hid and that she’d joined her.”

Dumbledore and Gryffin looked at each other puzzled, worried and diverted. Did all of this happened in only one lesson? They knew too that when Hermione would learn that she was Severus’ companion, she wouldn’t like it, but hey had hoped that Severus could get onto the subject with gentleness. But, well, Severus and to get onto fussy subjects with tact… Finally, there hadn’t been any hurricane in the dungeons, it was a good bode after all…

“Potter and Weasley have been always punished when they have broken the rules, Severus,” Dumbledore said softly.

“When we knew what they’d done, yes Albus. But I doubt that you were aware they succeeded in preparing Polyjuice Potion in the girls’ bathroom during their second year. Besides, they had taken ingredients in my personal cupboard. The only thing I’m still ignorant of is why they did it,” Severus finished in a weary voice.

Dumbledore and Gryffin stayed silent out of surprise. Pupils who were only twelve years old succeeded in brewing Polyjuice Potion? Unbeknown by teachers? And they have robed Severus ingredients? In his personal cupboard?

Finally, they nearly laughed about the cleverness of the three students. It was maybe the reason why they had managed to survive the different hardships, which had already marked their lives… Dumbledore quietly spoke with a light smile :

“It was a long time ago, we can forget now, Severus. Besides, Hermione, because I think it’s her, didn’t say it to you directly, but she simply admitted these things to Erwin?”

Severus could only nod.

“So, Professor Snape isn’t cognizant of what Erwin knows as her companion, if you understand what I mean…”

“I knew you would say this, Albus! Why do you think all three of them aren’t in my office? But it is a good idea to let them both marinate a little,” he said pointing Harry and Ron with his finger.

“And why has Hermione called you an idiot?” asked Professor Gryffin tempting with difficulties to dissimulate a smile.

“It’s none of your concern, Arlin,” Severus firmly answered, looking straight in his eyes.

“What about the hurricane?”

“I’ve avoided the worst, I think, protecting my room with a shield, but my power had nearly reached its limits. Fortunately, she finally calmed down, otherwise it would have been difficult to explain it! I hope that the other students didn’t notice the numerous drafts this morning in the dungeons.”

“You must help her to master her power, Severus,” Arlin scolded.

“For the time being, I’d simply like she accepts to talk to me again,” Severus replied gloomily.

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This afternoon, Hermione attended her lessons completely absent-minded. She only benefited of the teachers’ leniency because they knew about her situation and because it was the first time in Hermione’s schooling that she wasn’t attentive.

She decided to do her homework in the library with Harry and Ron. Ginny joined up with them later, at the end of her own lessons. She simply said to them that Snape was insufferable, edger and that he allowed them to go out five minutes before the end, which had never happened to her during her five years in Hogwarts.

Yet Hermione knew that she shouldn’t call attention to her, so she decided to grit her teeth and to go eating with the other ones in the Great Hall. However she didn’t cast an eye to the staff table. She feared what would happen after dinner. Certainly she would take refuge in the Gryffindor common room, to finish her homework, but after? She would have to go to her rooms. And she was sure that he would come to see her, this time. She didn’t doubt about his tenacity. But what about her? What did she want? She had dreamed of a kinder companion for awhile, but now, her admission to Ron, Harry and Ginny was right. She had said to them that Erwin and Snape could be brothers…

Thanks so much for reading, another thanks to firewall who left a review for the last chapter.