The Seduction Game

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter characters and the Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling/Warnerbros. I am making no money.

Wow! First of all, I\'ve got to say: Thanks so MUCH! I\'d never expected that much feedback! I\'m honoured.

Now, a few comments to the reviewers: I know, I know, one doesn\'t write a story simply for the reviews... I don\'t do that either - I\'d be writing even if NO ONE read my stories, simply because I enjoy doing it. But I feel, when I publish my stories, it\'s nice to know they\'re not just lying around collecting dust (metaphorically speaking :)... And sometimes, an author just kinda need confirmation that people still read his/her stories! I honestly DON\'T write this story simply for the feedbacks, but it\'s here so people can enjoy it, and from time to time I just need to hear that people still read it at all.. So thank you all so much! I really, really appreciate it!

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CHAPTER NINETEEN: ARRIVALS

If asked, Hermione would have found it slightly difficult to explain exactly what she found so unbelievably attractive about Severus Snape.

Or at least, she would have to stop for a moment and think.

Then, she would remember his kindness and caring during her incident with Lucius, and she would surely mention his aristocratic elegancy and style, as well as that beautiful, sensuous voice of his and, quite simply, just the way he handles himself.

Yes. Hermione Granger was in love.

Damnit.

It wasn’t such a bad thing, really – what annoyed her about it, was that Severus kept distracting her from getting any work done. He kept haunting her thoughts, both while at the office and at home during the evenings.

Be sure to let me know when you get a spare moment in your schedule again.

She could only dream of what that could mean. Surely it meant he wanted to see her again? It had to. It just had to, because if it didn’t, she knew she’d be go insane and start climbing the walls.

Three days after she’d received that letter, she couldn’t resist it any more. So she wrote him back, saying (quite cleverly, she thought) that if there was anything in particular he had in mind, surely she could squeeze him in somewhere in her tight schedule. She even suggested she could meet him at Hogwarts, explaining how she had business to discuss with Professor Vector anyway, who was her Arithmancy counsellor in her private studies.
Severus had replied the very next day.


I’d be delighted if you could squeeze me into your schedule, Hermione. I can have a dinner arranged for us at seven o’clock, if it’s convenient. That should give you time to discuss your Arithmancy work with Professor Vector before meeting me.

Oh, and I hope you won’t worry about getting home too late in the evening – if necessary, I am sure Albus could arrange for a place for you to spend the night within the confines of the castle.


Oh yes.

Hermione knew exactly where she wanted to spend that night. Work wouldn’t be a problem, she could just travel from Hogwarts by Floo powder the following morning.

Lack of sleep would be... tolerable. At least if she got it as a result of, well, that.

That? Honestly, she told herself, now’s as good a time as any to start calling it sex. Marvellous sex, at that. And gods, how she’d missed it during the week that followed the conference. The fact that she knew Severus had enjoyed it as much as she had, and was probably equally keen to repeat it, made her certain it would happen again when she returned to Hogwarts for their dinner.

If nothing else, she’d see to it.

And so it was with a light and eager heart that she packed a small bag that afternoon, leaving a note to her superior warning him that she might be half an hour late for work next morning (with no implication as to why, of course), and Apparated willingly to Hogsmeade.

--

Just as Hermione left London, another character arrived.

Draco Malfoy was making his way to the small, closed down Purge and Dowse, Ltd. that would bring him to St Mungo’s Hospital, taking several detours on the way so as to avoid any reporters from The Prophet or catching his eye.

This stuff with Lucius was big business, it would seem. Strangely enough, Draco thought, seeing as how everyone hated his Father – himself included.

Oh, well. Draco supposed a Complete Obliviation would always be big business, even if the one at the receiving end had been a thorough bastard loathed by pretty much everyone in the entire wizarding world. If nothing else, the story would encourage gossip, thus sell more newspapers.

Clever journalism, thought Draco with a smirk as he passed through the shop’s window and into the Hospital’s reception area.

He felt a few glances being thrown in his direction - mostly from those peering over their unfolded newspapers and magazines - as he made his way to the Welcome Witch at the reception.

“Hello, sir,” she said in a bored voice, not even bothering to glance up from her papers.

“Yeah, hi,” said Draco, rather unimpressed. “I’m here to see Mr Rickspile.”

“I’m afraid Mr Rickspile’s schedule for today is fully booked,” the witch replied, still not looking up from the forms she was sorting. “If you wish to see the Spell Damage Head of the Board, you’ll need a plausible reason and a meeting booked in advance.”

Draco raised an eyebrow, but didn’t respond at first. This seemed to irritate the bored Welcome Witch, and she finally finished off in an annoyed voice: “Look, sir, if you must know, Mr Rickspile has a very important meeting with Mr Draco Malfoy today,” she emphasized his name with care, “so if you would please –” At the last word, she looked up, and stopped talking in mid-sentence, mouth hanging wide open.

Ah, I suppose she knows how I look, then, thought Draco with a slight hint of amusement. No doubt his picture had been all over The Prophet and all the other newspapers when he’d been disowned. The Malfoys were good gossip, after all, and it appeared these recent events with Lucius had only added to their “popularity”.

“I’m terribly sorry, sir,” spluttered the Welcome Witch, dropping half of her papers to the floor, “I didn’t realize it was you, I –”

“No worries,” said Draco. “I’m sure you meant nothing by it.”

The witch smiled sheepishly. “Mr Rickspile is expecting you, Mr Malfoy,” she said. “He’s on the sixth floor – never mind the ‘out of boundaries’-sign at the beginning of the steps from the fifth floor, they do not apply to you, obviously.”

“Obviously,” agreed Draco and gave her a slight wave of the hand before turning to climb the stairs up to the sixth floor.

Upon arriving, Draco’s first impression was that Mr Rickspile didn’t look at all as a pleasant man – it seemed as though his smile and welcoming hand were all just ways of keeping up appearances to the young Malfoy.

“Such a pleasure to meet you, Draco,” said Rickspile excitedly as Draco stepped into his office.

“Still loose on the formalities, I see,” commented Draco and shook Rickspile’s hand, barely.

“Oh, well, you know,” said Rickspile, shrugging and quickly wiping his brow, “one can’t be too formal, we’ll all end up bowing and scraping and the gods know what...”

Draco chose not to comment this, and took a seat in the chair in front of Rickspile’s desk. “Shall we get down to business, then?” he suggested, his brows raised.

“Ah, yes, of course,” said the Head of the Board, pulling out a few files from his top desk drawer. “Now, this matter with your father... It’s all very unfortunate, isn’t it?”

“I’d like to think the opposite, actually,” said Draco. “Not only is he out of my life, he’s out of pretty much everyone else’s too, now – and you say he’s received a Complete Obliviation. I’d like to see things get better than this.”

Rickspile hesitated. “Are you – are you being sarcastic, Mr Malfoy?”

Draco shook his head, amused. “I’m really, really not.”

Rickspile sighed, as though defeated. “So I take it you meant what you wrote in your letters, then.”

“Indeed I did.”

“You do realize this is your father we’re talking about?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Have you no care for him at all?”

“I think, Mr Rickspile,” said Draco, leaning forward to make his point quite clear and leaning one of his hands on the Head of the Board’s d  “that I could not care less about what happens to my Father. As far as I’m concerned, he was gone long before he escaped the confines of your Hospital.”

Rickspile’s gaze dropped, and it was as though disappointment was washing over him, and he had trouble controlling himself. When he at last looked at Draco again, his eyes were sad and his look a desperate one. Quite slowly, and almost hesitantly, it seemed, he leaned forwards over his desk and slowly covered Draco’s hand with his own.

Draco was torn between disgust and amazement.

“Listen, Draco,” sighed Rickspile. “This isn’t just about your bad relationship with Mr Malfoy. Don’t you realize? If you choose not to take action here, then there’s nothing the Hospital can do. In cases like this, when a person within our walls is no longer capable of looking after himself, it is for the closest living relative to make the decisions. If you, as the guardian, demand of us that we go looking for Mr Malfoy, we’ll have no choice but to do so. But if you choose not to have a say in it at all, then there’s quite literally nothing we can do. Your father will be wandering the streets alone, and we will be powerless to stop him.”

“I never agreed to the ‘responsibilities’ of being guardian,” said Draco, trying to discreetly free his hand from Mr Rickspile’s repve gve grasp. “And I do not care if my Father wanders the streets at night. I do not care about whatever was to happen to him.”

“Please,” begged Rickspile, “don’t you see the awkward position you’re putting the Hospital in? In the eyes of The Prophet, and other gossip magazines, it will appear as though this is all just an excuse to not act! We’ll appear as the villains who let the poor, Obliviated man wander off to his probable doom!”

“That’s all a great shame,” said Draco, “but it’s really none of my concern. If I agree to let you search for my Father now, I’ll become involved. That low, I would never sink. So no, Mr Rickspile, I will not ask you to search for my Father. He’s gone, as far as I’m considered. He’s of no importance.”

Draco wrenched – finally, it was sweaty – his hand from Mr Rickspile’s pleading one and stood to leave. “Good day, Mr Rickspile, and thanks for seeing me. It was – er – most generous.”

Just as he meant to leave, Mr Rickspile’s voice from behind his back caught his attention.

“You might be interested to know, though,” he said smoothly, “that although Mr Malfoy received a Complete Obliviation, he didn’t seem completely rid of his previous life.”

“How do you mean?” asked Draco hesitantly, still with his back to Rickspile.

“He kept muttering in his sleep – and whilst awake, if he thought nobody was listening,” said Rickspile coolly. “He kept repeating, in particular, a name.”

“What name?” asked Draco, his voice hoarse despite his efforts.

“Severus Snape.”

--

“Really, Severus, why ever would she be coming here to visit you?”

“I suggest you ask her that.”

“Oh, I think I will,” smirked Madam Hooch, her left hand idly playing with the handle of her coffee cup.

“Now, really,” barked McGonagall, shooting her best stern-old-knowing-woman look at her fellow staff member. “How can you insinuate it so unlikely that Hermione would be coming to visit Severus?”

“Well,” said Hooch, drawing it out, “it’s it rather – obvious?”

“No, do explain,” said Severus silkily.

“Well, you’re not exactly the god of sociality, are you?” smirked Hooch. “Nor the kindest man within this castle. No offence, Severus, really,” she added, “it’s just pure facts.”

“Yes, I think we are all well aware of Severus’s shortcomings when friendly company is concerned,” interrupted Dumbledore cheerfully. “But that shouldn’t prevent him from having female friends who know to appreciate him, should it?”

“Er – of course not,” muttered Hooch in a dark voice.

Thank you, Albus, thought Severus, reaching for his cup. How ever did a staff meeting end up with discussions of Hermione’s visit?

Well, there was the fact, of course, that Vector had been announcing proudly how her apprentice would be arriving, and then she’d accidentally added the fact that Hermione would be spending the evening with Severus afterwards.

Which again had created room for a storm of questions thrown at him – why would Hermione be visiting him? – What were they up to? – Why couldn’t he just behave properly, if not to his present, then at least to his former students?

Oh, Hooch was probably the t, ct, closely followed by Trelawney, both of which had developed their own unique ways of insulting Severus. Hooch would go with the straight forward approach (shoot to kill), whereas Trelawney would be sitting in her usual, stuffed armchair in the corner, muttering through the shadows about “fate”, “misery” and “thoughtless meddling in poor, befuddled young women’s lives”.

If these two women had a life of their own to live, it couldn’t be much of one. They seemed to be living through gossip about other people’s lives, in their own unique way – which was to criticize anything that appalled them (but which they had never actually experienced for themselves).

“And we shall all be delighted to see Miss Granger return to us, even if it’s just for a night or two,” finished Albus, beaming at Severus.

“Oooh,” said Hooch evilly, “spending the night is? Wh? What have you been up to at thonfeonference, Severus?”

“Shall we all,” barked McGonagall through clenched teeth, “perhaps try and act as civilized, adult colleagues here?”

“Of course, Minerva,” said Dumbledore with a smile, and thus the subject of Hermione Granger’s arrival was dropped.

But Severus knew it wouldn’t end here. Now all the teachers knew more than enough to make their own assumptions, which undoubtedly would lead to no good. Poor Hermione (not to mention poor Severus!) wouldn’t get a moment’s peace when she arrived.

Well, thought Severus annoyed, that won’t be the case – not if I can help it.

--

Hermione had just finished her meeting with Professor Vector and checked the time, decided that she had time to stop by the staff room and greet her former Professors before meeting Severus for their seven o’clock dinner, when she realized something rather peculiar:

Hagrid, who she spotted in the hall on the second floor, appeared to have become completely oblivious to her existence.

He didn’t even react when she called out his name. He just walked past, as though in a world of his own, and paid her no heed.

“Hagrid?” said Hermione again, befuddled.

Oh, well – perhaps he had some killer beast on his mind, and was too concerned or too obsessed to notice the world around him. Stranger things had happened.

Hermione moved on and reached the staff room. She knocked politely, but there was no answer. She knocked again, a fair bit louder, but still no one opened the door for her.

Leaning her head against it, she could hear the distinct sound of chattering voices from within. What on earth was going on here? Why wouldn’t they open for her?

DecidingR’d better find out what this was all about; Hermione reached for the door handle and pulled it open. Peering inside, she saw nothing out of the ordinary: Three of her former Professors were sitting around the staff table, marking papers or chatting friendly.

“What the...?” said McGonagall, looking up as the door creaked open.

Ah, thereare, thought Hermione pleased, and walked up to the table to greet her Professor.

And McGonagall got to her feet, though not to greet Hermione. In stead, she strolled straight past and over to the door, muttering to herself: “I wonder what that was all about...”

“Peeves, probably,” said Madam Hooch, her eyes never leaving her papers.

“Probably,” squeaked Flitwick in agreement.

“Er – excuse me?” said Hermione shocked, looking in turn at each of them. What was the deal? Couldn’t they... couldn’t they see her either?

“I for one am getting sick and tired of him,” sighed McGonagall and sat back down in her chair, still pointedly ignoring Hermione. “I’ll have a word with the Bloody Baron about him, before my patience reaches its end.”

“Er – hello?!” said Hermione, torn between annoyance and shock. If they couldnt set see her, the certainly couldn’t hear her either, because none of them replied, or even looked up, at her words.

Hermione threw her hands up, exasperated. “I don’t believe this,” she muttered.

“You should,” said a deep voice from right behind her. Seconds later, long fingers gently curled around her left shoulder.

Hermione’s own hand immediately jumped up to grab the hand holding her. “Severus?” she said.

The hand turned her around, and she was faced with her former Potions Master smirking at her. “Last time I checked, yes.”

Hermione couldn’t help but let out a quick laugh of relief – so he could see her, at least. “What’s going on here?”

“I hope you’ll forgive me,” said Severus, taking her hand to lead her out of the staff room, “but I had good reasons for it.”

“For what? What are you – oh,” she said, when it dawned upon her. “You made me invisible – why?”

Severus sighed. “You may not believe it, Hermione, but gossip occurs even in the highest professional environments – within this staff room, in other words.”

“Gossip?”

“Indeed. I Disillusioned us both just as you left Professor Vector’s office. I had to add a simple charm to it, of course, making you very difficult to hear as well, unless one would be particularly listening for it...”

Hermione laughed. “You’re unbelievable! Why would you think something like that necessary?”

“I promise you, Hermione, it was most necessary,” he smirked. “Unless you would want Hooch to take claim on your evening. She would have made you give away every dirty detail there is about whatever may have occurred at the connce.nce... Believe me; she is not easily dealt with.”

“Why is she so interested in your personal life?”

“Because she can’t stand me.”

“Ah.”

They descended the stairs to the dungeons, and Severus stopped to hold out his arm to Hermione.

“Shall we dine, then?”

She smiled. “Absolutely.”


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There we are! Now, I\'ve had it confirmed that this story is still read by you, but of course I\'d love some reviews...! Just to hear what you think of it, obviously... :) Again, thanks so much to all of you who reviewed the last chapter!