Delicate

Chapter Nineteen: Confused Wizards





Cause you\'re hot then you\'re cold

You\'re yes then you\'re no

You\'re in and you\'re out

You\'re up and you\'re down

You\'re wrong when it\'s right

It\'s black and it\'s white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up









Dear Severus,

Gone to visit with Ginny.



H



“Damn that over emotional witch,” Severus growled as he wadded up the note she had left on his desk and tossed it into the rubbish can beside his desk.



“I told you that it wasn’t over,” Gretchen said from the doorway.



“Why are you here?” He asked, frustrated.



“I like you, Severus, always did. If it wasn’t for the fact that you are a control freak and a man I probably would have been interested in you,” she said smiling. “I don’t want to see you screw up what I think could be the best thing to ever happen to you.”



“You are the reason she is upset with me to begin with!”



“No, your failure to explain to her about me is the reason she is upset with you,” Gretchen said. “I don’t think she’s upset with you exactly, I think she just needs to know without a shadow of a doubt where she stands with you.”





“I don’t recall you being so annoying,” he said, glowering at her.



“We were always too busy to chat back then and you didn’t have a girlfriend,” she shrugged. “What are you going to do?”



“I haven’t the foggiest idea,” he sighed and slumped back in his chair. “I don’t know if I can handle all of this…drama.”



“I’d be happy to take her off your hands, Severus,” Gretchen teased. She laughed when he arched an annoyed brow in her direction. “You need to make a decision one way or the other. Either you give her your whole heart and take a risk to love her as she deserves with honesty and trust, or you walk away.”



“Why does this concern you?” He asked her.



“I was a young witch once, the most talented of my age and I loved someone, loved her with my whole heart but she couldn’t give me all of her and the little bit she offered me just wasn’t enough. I see myself in your young witch and I see the potential for something lasting and true if you would just let her in,” she said. “Know this, Severus, if you can’t love her as she deserves then there is someone out there who will. Can you live with the possibility of her belonging to another?”



Severus sat there in silence, thinking about how it felt the night she went out with Greenly, how the thought of her with him had angered him, how it had been the catalyst for the beginning of their relationship. He imagined her with Weasley and his hands balled into fists. He couldn’t, wouldn’t lose her.



“Gretchen, I beg you to excuse me,” he said, rising from behind his desk. “I need to pay a visit to Harry Potter.”





~ @ ~

Harry and Ginny Potter weren’t expecting guests when the knock sounded at their door. They had been curled up on their sofa watching the telly, absorbed in the program when the soft rapping interrupted them. They went to the door together, peeking through the curtain to see a woman standing there, her head bent, her curls unmistakable. Ginny wrenched open the door and her gut twisted the moment Hermione lifted her tear streaked face.



“Alright, Love, come inside,” Ginny said softly, slipping her arm around Hermione’s waist and guiding her in. She led her to the sofa where Hermione collapsed into her comforting arms and sobbed against her shoulder. Over the top of her friend’s head Ginny could see the confused and helpless expression on her husband’s face and she gave him a sad yet understanding smile. “Shhhh…it’s going to be okay.”



“I’m crazy, Ginny, I am one of those crazy stalker witches like Lavender Brown!” She sobbed brokenly.



“Oh, don’t be silly, you could never be as vapid as Lavender,” Ginny laughed softly and stroked her friend’s back. “Did you and Severus have a fight?” Hermione lifted her tear stained face and sniffed. “It’s alright, Mione, I know.”



“How did you…we never told anyone,” she stammered.



“Harry and I saw the two of you kissing at the wedding,” she said, pushing a few stray curls out of her face and tucking them behind her ear.



“I..I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she sniffed again and then smiled up at Harry when he pressed a box of tissues into her lap and sat on the other side of her.



“We figured that the two of you had your reasons for remaining silent,” she said.



“And I really didn’t want to know the details anyhow,” Harry smirked. “What’s wrong, Hermione? You know I can’t stand to see you cry.”





“Did you have a row?” Ginny asked again.



“No…it’s just…I don’t…I’m not….he deserves better than me,” she said quietly, staring down at her hands folded in her lap.



“What brought this on?” Ginny asked, taking a tissue and dabbing at Hermione’s eyes.



“There is a witch…and American witch visiting Hogwarts…she and Severus go back…she’s beautiful and smart and...”



“A bitch?” Harry added.



“No, that’s what makes it worse, she’s not. She’s very nice and she…she’s the kind of woman he should have on his arm, someone elegant and beautiful. Not me,” Hermione felt the tears flow anew and reached for another tissue.



“Nonsense, Hermione, there is no one better than you,” Harry put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, resting his cheek against the top of her head. A sharp pounding at the door startled all three of them.





“I’ll get it,” Ginny said as she stood, “We never have guests and now we have two in ten minutes!” She said as she disappeared out of the lounge and went to answer the door. Harry continued to cuddle Hermione against his side, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. It took only a moment before Ginny was walking back into the room, her brows lifted and an odd little smirk on her face.





“We have another visitor,” she said just as Snape rounded the corner.



“Severus, what are you doing here?” Hermione asked as she stared in disbelief at the dark wizard frowning down at her.



“I might ask you the same…why are you crying?” He frowned at Harry as if he were the cause of her tears.



“Don’t look at me, she was crying when she got here,” Harry said, his eyes narrowing as he got to his feet. Severus towered over him but Harry wouldn’t be intimidated, not when it came to Hermione. “So how about you tell me why she is crying?”



“Harry, don’t…please,” Hermione said, laying her hand on his arm as she stepped between him and Severus.



“Why are you crying, Hermione?” Severus asked again, wincing when she turned her face up to him and he saw her tear filled eyes.



“Are you fucking around, Snape?” Harry demanded.



“Harry!” Hermione turned to stare at Harry in shock. She had never heard him use such language before.



“I don’t have to answer to you, Potter,” Severus snarled.



“When it comes to Hermione’s happiness you had better bet your arse you answer to me,” Harry pushed Hermione aside and stepped up to Severus; he needed to stretch onto his toes and still couldn’t be eye to eye with him. “Look, I don’t like what’s happening between you…that’s right, I know that the two of you are more than friends, I saw you kissing her at my wedding…”



“It’s not for you to like or dislike, Potter! Why is it that you are always putting yourself into other people’s business?” Severus was grinding his teeth, the muscles in his jaw twitching as he tried to reign in his anger.



“You’re wrong. Hermione is my sister, that makes her my business which makes what is going on between the two of you my business if it’s making her cry!” Harry was shouting at him and Hermione and Ginny could do nothing but stare.



“I did nothing to make her cry, Potter, I am as confused as you are,” Severus growled, trying to ignore the kernel of respect he was growing for the younger man.



“Nothing to make her cry? You call parading another woman around in front of her nothing?”



Severus sighed and closed his eyes, slowly counting to ten. Gretchen was right; he was going to have to deal with the issue. He hated drama, loathed it. He had been dealt far more than his fair share of it over the years and didn’t want to deal with more. He was both irritated and flattered by Hermione’s jealousy. No one had ever thought enough of him to be jealous before, certainly not the irrational jealousy that Hermione was displaying. He didn’t want her crying over it. He wasn’t worth her tears.



“It’s not what you think,” he said softly to Hermione. He looked at Potter, uncomfortable having it out in front of him. “Can we go home, please?”



“I…no, Severus,” she whispered.



“No? Hermione, come home so we can discuss this,” Severus said in a demanding tone. She laid her hand on Harry’s shoulder and pulled him back. She gave him a reassuring smile as he stepped back to where Ginny stood. She knew that it was the best she was going to get, he wasn’t about to leave her alone when she was so upset, he definitely wasn’t going to leave her alone with Severus.



“Look, Severus, I know you think I am being irrational, hell, I think I am being irrational and I hate that feeling,” she said softly. “I also hate feeling like you are settling for me when you could do better.”



“Bloody hell, Hermione,” he scoffed and rolled his eyes.



“It’s true; she is a beautiful woman…”



“I don’t want Gretchen, I have NEVER wanted Gretchen, I never WILL want Gretchen,” he said quietly trying to keep Potter from overhearing. “Please, just come home with me…”



“No…I can’t…Severus, It’s just too delicate, ” she turned on her heel and fled from the room, leaving Severus staring after her in disbelief.



“GODS DAMN IT WILL YOU STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME!” He shouted, moving to follow her but Harry stepped in front of him and blocked his path. “Move, Potter, NOW!”



“I won’t let you hurt her,” Harry said simply, his face told Severus that Potter would do whatever he had to in order to protect her.



“I’m not going to hurt her, you idiot, I love her! I’m trying to fix this if she would just stand still for five fucking minutes and let me speak!” His anger was increased at the wide eyed stares of the two people standing in front of him.



“Wow, Sir…um…does she know that?” Ginny asked with a little smirk. She couldn’t believe that Severus Snape just confessed to loving Hermione.



“Well she would if you two would get the hell out of my way!” He shoved past them, the smiling couple watching him as he chased after his witch.





“This whole thing is creepy,” Harry said, shaking his head.



“No, it’s romantic,” Ginny said, sidling up to her husband.



“Hermione is a neurotic; jealous mess and Snape doesn’t know his head from his arse, how is that romantic?” Harry was convinced that even trying to understand the female psyche was a lost cause.



“Its love, it’s messy and dramatic and passionate … ugh…” she sighed with a dreamy look on her face that slowly turned into a sultry stare. “Come to bed, Mr. Potter…I’ll show you just how messy and passionate it can be.”



Hot and Cold by Katie Perry



You change your mind

Like a girl changes clothes

Yeah you, PMS

Like a bitch

I would know



And you always think

Always speak

Cryptically



I should know

That you\'re no good for me



Cause you\'re hot then you\'re cold

You\'re yes then you\'re no

You\'re in and you\'re out

You\'re up and you\'re down

You\'re wrong when it\'s right

It\'s black and it\'s white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up



You, You don\'t really want to stay, no

You, but you don\'t really want to go-o

You\'re hot then you\'re cold

You\'re yes then you\'re no

You\'re in and you\'re out

You\'re up and you\'re down



We used to be

Just like twins

So in sync

The same energy

Now\'s a dead battery

Used to laugh (used to laugh) bout nothing (bout nothing)

Now your plain (now your plain) boring (boring)



I should know (I should know)

you\'re not gonna change (change)



Cause you\'re hot then you\'re cold

You\'re yes then you\'re no

You\'re in and you\'re out

You\'re up and you\'re down

You\'re wrong when it\'s right

It\'s black and it\'s white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up



You, You don\'t really want to stay, no (Whoa)

You, but you don\'t really want to go-o (Oooh)

You\'re hot then you\'re cold

You\'re yes then you\'re no

You\'re in and you\'re out

You\'re up and you\'re down (Down)



Someone call the doctor

Got a case of a love bi-polar

Stuck on a roller coaster

Can\'t get off this ride



You change your mind

Like a girl changes clothes



Cause you\'re hot then you\'re cold

You\'re yes then you\'re no

You\'re in and you\'re out

You\'re up and you\'re down

You\'re wrong when it\'s right (When it\'s right)

It\'s black and it\'s white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up (We make up)



You\'re hot then you\'re cold (Ohhhhhhhhhhhh)

You\'re yes then you\'re no

You\'re in and you\'re out (Oh!)

You\'re up and you\'re down (Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh)

You\'re wrong when it\'s right

It\'s black and it\'s white (Oh!)

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up



You, you don\'t really want to stay, no (Whoa)

You, but you don\'t really want to go-o (Oooh)

You\'re hot then you\'re cold (Cold)

You\'re yes then you\'re no (No)

You\'re in and you\'re out

You\'re up and you\'re down (Dooooown)









~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~





You people are amazing!!! So…the end is near….very near….