A Dark Scenario

Chapter 17 ~ Hogsmeade

Snape looked at the roster on the wall of the staff room with clear displeasure. He was listed as one of the two Hogwarts teachers who would be accompanying students to Hogmeade this upcoming weekend.

The other staff member would be professor Granger.

If Snape believed in the gods, he would be almost certain they had set this up for their own twisted entertainment. He hadn't said anything to Hermione about either the wind up his robes incident or the appearance of his form when she was hit with an adolescent love reveal charm during her Charms class.

He didn't need to say anything to embarrass her. The whispers and questions by students and staff members alike was enough to keep the witch a nice crimson color for the next two days. Good thing Rita Skeeter hadn't gotten wind of it. No doubt it would have been splashed all over the Daily Prophet.

Hermione made it a point to avoid Snape as well, but soon saw that he was once again pointedly ignoring her. She couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with him popping up during that idiotic spell. Possibly, he didn't want to encourage the speculation making the castle rounds. Well, he had nothing to worry about. She wasn't the least bit attracted to the wizard, and he'd be insane to think she was. Really.

"No, Ginny. I don't like him at all," Hermione hissed at her friend after class.

Ginny's brown eyes were narrowed and she didn't look at all convinced.

"Why would he appear then?" she demanded.

Hermione sighed in exasperation over her tea as they sat in her office.

"I don't know," Hermione replied, frowning. "He—he just did."

"Maybe it's one of those love/hate situations," the redhead suggested. "Maybe you are attracted to him but don't want to admit it because he's not attracted to you. Kind of like sour grapes."

"That's—that's just plain stupid, Ginny. Really. I'm not a second year pretending not to like someone I like," Hermione declared, splashing a bit of tea on the desk as she set her cup down roughly.

Ginny eyed the spillage and looked up at Hermione triumphantly.

"Why are you getting so upset then, Hermione?" she asked her sweetly.

"I'm upset because you are implying there's something going on with me that isn't, and I wish you'd bloody stop it. I do not like Severus Snape and that's final!"

Ginny didn't respond, and Hermione looked at her. Ginny's brown eyes were wide and she was paler than usual as she looked past Hermione's shoulder and toward the office door.

A sickening feeling rose in Hermione's belly and she slowly turned in the chair to see what had Ginny nearly petrified.

Ouch!

Snape was standing in the doorway, with one eyebrow arched as he looked in on the two witches.

"P—professor Snape," Hermione stammered awkwardly as he cocked his head, his black eyes shifting from her to Ginny then back again.

Ginny quickly rose.

"Um—thank you for the tea, Professor Granger," the Gryffindor said as she hurried past Snape. "I've got to get back to Gryffindor tower."

And just like that, Ginny bailed on her. Hermione blinked at the empty space where Ginny had been seated then looked back at Snape, who billowed into her office, walking directly toward her.

Hermione stood up quickly and fought back a gasp as he entered her personal space, staring down at her. He reached into his pocket and whipped out a piece of parchment, making her jump. His lip curled slightly.

"We have Hogsmeade duty this weekend," he said softly, although his eyes were hard. "Here are the details."

Hermione plucked the parchment from his hand.

"Thank you," she said in a near whisper.

Snape studied her for a moment, taking in her fast breathing and crimson face. Then he turned and walked back to the door, Hermione letting out a sigh of relief that he was out of her space.

Snape paused at the door, not looking back at her.

"I do share your spoken sentiments, Professor Granger. I do not like you as well," the wizard said quietly. "I tolerate you because I have no choice. But—"

Now Snape turned around in the doorway, his dark eyes glinting as he looked at the witch with whom he had a dubious past.

"But I think in your case, Shakespeare's character said it best: The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hermione demanded.

Snape simply looked at her for a moment, then disappeared from the doorway.

Hermione stood there for a second, then hurried through the door and into the corridor. Snape was briskly billowing away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she called after the wizard, who neither answered nor looked back. He became smaller and smaller until he turned a corner and disappeared.


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"Come along. Stay together and follow the path," Hermione directed the chattering students, who hardly heard her. Sixty-five students were under her and Snape's charge today, and she wasn't planning on losing a single straggler.

Going to Hogsmeade was far less harrowing now that Voldemort was dead and the Death Eaters disbanded. For a while there, no trips had been allowed out of fear of attacks. Being able to visit the town again was a great pleasure.

Snape silently brought up the rear, glaring his directions. There would be no stragglers as long as his sharp eyes were on them. The students followed his silent commands as if he'd cast a wordless Charm. It was simple to know what he wanted them to do.

Keep going and move quickly.

"Snape looks like he still thinks Death Eaters are waiting to pounce on us," one witch said to a wizard who walked next to her. The boy glanced back at Snape, who scowled at him. He quickly faced front again.

"I think he's the one who looks ready to do the pouncing," the boy replied with an involuntary shudder. "He's bloody creepy."

They entered the town and Snape listened quietly as Hermione informed the student they were to meet up at this location in two hours to return back to the school.

"Go on," she said, and the students took off happily for shops and other environs. Hermione smiled after them, remembering how exciting it was to be let loose on Hogsmeade. Snape stood there silently, watching them go and frowning slightly.

On a corner stood two wizards in cloaks and hats pulled low over their eyes. They were watching Snape and Hermione. Other Hogsmeade residents walked past them unconcerned as they went about their business.

"Look there. Snape," one man growled to the other. "That murdering bastard."

"Yeah. My sister died at one of those revels," the other man said darkly. "Snape was a part of all that, the Order be damned. He should have paid like the rest of them."

They stood there in silence as Snape and Hermione walked toward them, Snape bringing up the rear, stone-faced.

"We could get him, you know. No one would blame us," the first man said.

"What about the witch. She's with him."

"Stun her. But Snape gets more than that."

Hermione continued walking as did Snape, whose dark eyes rested on the two men on the corner. They weren't browsing about like the rest of Hogsmeade's patrons. They seemed unnaturally stiff. Snape didn't slow his gait, but slipped his hand into his pocket and grasped his wand. Then he caught up to Hermione.

"Get out of the way," he hissed at her. "I'm about to be attacked."

"Attacked? By who?" Hermione demanded rather loudly as Snape's face twisted.

"Don't announce it to the bloody world!" he growled.

Hermione looked about and immediately read the body language of the two men standing on the corner.

So, they wanted a fight did they?

"Protego," she thought, wordlessly casting the protective spell around the both of them.

Snape felt magic settle around them as they walked. Suddenly one of the men whipped out his wand and shouted, "Stupefy!" sending the stunning spell at Hermione, who whipped out her own wand as the spell harmlessly hit the magical protection. She was about to cast an Expelliarmus when she was suddenly thrown to the ground just as "Avada Kedavra!" was bellowed. She was aware of a body beside hers, then heard Snape shout his own curse which was followed by a hoarse cry and heavy thud. This was followed by the sound of running feet and then screams as she and Snape stood up.

She brushed off her robes as Snape strode over to the dead wizard and kicked him over with his foot as a crowd began to form. He looked down at him as Hermione appeared by his side.

"He tried to kill you," she said softly. "Do you know who he is?"

"No," Snape said quietly. "But that doesn't matter. I'm sure he won't be the last wizard who tries to execute me."

"Execute you?" Hermione said, her brow furrowed.

"Yes. There are people who believe that execution would have been justice. The council felt differently. And the council—isn't here to experience the aftermath. Azkaban would have been the better choice."

Snape paused for a moment as Hermione stared at him. There was a slight tick in his cheek as he looked down at the dead wizard. The murmurs of the crowd were getting louder.

"The Aurors should be arriving shortly. Contact Hogwarts and inform them I am going to be—detained so they can send another staff member," Snape instructed Hermione, who began to swell up in indignation.

"Detained? Whatever for? It was clearly an attack—"

"Just contact Hogwarts," Snape said tightly as the Aurors appeared and the crowd all pointed at Snape.

"He killed him!"

"Yes! Snape!"

"In cold blood!"

"What? Wait!" Hermione yelled, moving forward angrily. "It wasn't like that at all!"

Snape caught her arm and slung her back roughly.

"Contact Hogwarts, you silly witch, before we're both arrested," he snarled at her as the grim-faced Aurors walked up to him.

"Severus Snape, you're under arrest until we can sort this out," one of the Aurors said.

Snape nodded tiredly as he gave over his wand and put his hands behind his back to be tied.

"Deja vu," he replied quietly as Hermione watched silently, her eyes glistening.


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A/N: Hi everyone. Been out of commission because of the blahs for the past couple of weeks and am still in the doldrums. This is a really rough patch but I'm fighting through it. I wanted to write something because of the emails I've been receiving asking if I'm all right. Thank you for caring. I'm fine physically. Just a little challenged mentally right now. I hope this chapter was okay, since my muse is STILL AWOL (*(^&*&%&^%&) and I have no smokes. But, thanks for picking this back up and reading. * * *