Inside the Blackest Heart (Edit, Not Update)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 20 ~ Hermione’s Meeting with Dumbledore

At two forty-five, Hermione closed the book she had been trying to absorb herself in. It hadn’t worked. The Professor was on her mind. What was happening to him? Did he give Voldemort that information?

Hermione felt a little burst of anger at the Headmaster. How could he set his own spy up to be tortured? That’s precisely what he did. It was a callous act Hermione would not have believed her Headmaster to be capable of. She realized there was a war going on, and sometimes sacrifices had to be made, but this one seemed so senseless and cruel. Snape might embrace the evil he was surrounded with, but it was the Headmaster who placed him back under the thumb of the Dark Lord. Hermione had heard the Potions Master’s story. How he had come to Dumbledore when he wasn’t much older than she was, confessed his crimes and was willing to be turned over to the Aurors and punished. It might have meant execution. But the Headmaster convinced him to return to the Dark Lord, telling him he could redeem himself by giving information on his activities. Snape didn’t find redemption. Instead he found an all-consuming evil and pain. Much, much pain. He was forced to become what he tried to save himself from, and accepted it fully rather than tear himself apart.

As she headed toward Albus’ office, Hermione wondered if she were in the Potions Master’s position, would she have embraced the evil he was forced to be immersed in? It was possible. She could almost see the logic of Snape using evil acts to release the bitterness eating him up inside, since he had to do evil anyway to keep his cover. She wondered if the Headmaster was trying to punish the Potions Master for his crimes even as he used him. She frowned. The Headmaster was becoming less kindly in her estimation. The vision she’d experienced earlier today came back to her as she walked up the corridor.

Hermione found the gargoyle was already to the side of the entrance to the Headmaster’s office, and the spiral staircase was opened. She mounted the stairs, a cold feeling growing in her belly. She wondered what the Headmaster wanted to speak to her about. Probably his plans for her after graduation. And maybe her intimacies with Professor Snape.

She found the Headmaster’s office opened and walked in. He wasn’t there. She looked and saw Fawkes, who immediately burst into song when the witch entered. She walked over to the Phoenix and ran her hand over the soft feathers.

“Hi Fawkes,” she said gently. The Phoenix trilled.

“Miss Granger. Formerly of Gryffindor House,” said a rough surly voice.

Hermione looked up.

“Over here,” the voice said.

Hermione spun in the direction the voice came from. Her amber eyes fell on the Sorting Hat, which nodded at her. It was resting on the top of a bookshelf and bent slightly toward her.

“What do you mean, formerly of Gryffindor?” Hermione said, her brow wrinkled.

“You should be resorted. But they don’t do that here. Yet, trust me when I tell you that you are no longer a Gryffindor at heart, Miss Granger. People change,” the hat said.

“What?” Hermione said, stunned. No longer a Gryffindor? Well, what was she then?

“If I’m not a Gryffindor at heart anymore, then what am I?” she asked the hat.

Albus entered at that precise moment, and the Sorting Hat fell silent.

“Did you say something, Miss Granger?” the Headmaster inquired politely as he took a seat behind his desk.

Fawkes immediately stopped singing, shuffling back and forth on her perch as if disturbed.

Hermione continued to gaze at the Sorting Hat for a moment, then turned her eyes on the Headmaster.

“Ah, no sir,” she said, walking over to the comfortable armchair positioned directly in front of his desk.

“What did you want to talk to me about, sir?” she asked.

“Several things, Miss Granger. The first is, most delicate and personal I’m afraid. It concerns you and Professor Snape,” he said, his blue eyes fixed on her.

Hermione colored a bit, but said nothing.

The Headmaster drew a deep breath as if about to embark on a difficult physical endeavor.

“Miss Granger, I realize you are of the age of consent, and can choose whom you wish to involve yourself with sexually,” the Headmaster said, “Normally, I would not think of invading your privacy concerning this matter, except for the fact that you have chosen a very dark and evil man to be your lover.”

Hermione raised her eyebrows at this assessment of Professor Snape. It was true, but still it seemed wrong for Albus to say this without acknowledging the good the dark wizard was doing for him.

“The Professor may serve the Order, Miss Granger, but he is far from the hero you have made him out to be. He embraces the activities of the deatheaters, and participates in them himself. He has raped and murdered muggles and magical people alike without remorse. I believe he honestly takes pleasures in the crimes he commits. He is not suitable for you, Miss Granger. He is not suitable for anyone. He is an evil man,” the Headmaster said.

“If he is so evil, Headmaster, why do you continue to use him?” Hermione asked.

“Because he is our only link to Voldemort. The information he brings back is valuable,” the Headmaster replied.

Hermione looked at Albus a bit darkly.

“But Headmaster, he goes into Voldemort’s presence with the intention of bring you back information, and does so at great personal peril. He suffers horribly for the Order. And the crimes he commits, doesn’t he do so in the name of the Order? Doesn’t he actually commit them for you? He couldn’t be a spy if he did not participate. Voldemort would know immediately he was not with his deatheaters,” she said.

The Headmaster hesitated.

“It is true he serves the ‘greater good’ Miss Granger, but he shows no remorse for his actions. He throws himself into them like any other deatheater,” the Headmaster said a bit hotly. He did not like the direction this conversation was taking. Miss Granger appeared to be defending the Potions Master’s.

“He already showed remorse when he first came to you years ago, Headmaster. And you sent him back to Voldemort to continue in his service, to continue to kill and rape in order to serve you. If you don’t mind me saying so sir, you helped make him the way he is now,” Hermione said evenly. “Actually, you act as much as a Dark Lord towards him as Voldemort.”

Dumbledore secretly cursed the young witch’s brilliance at logic. She was already too close.

“Be that as it may, Miss Granger, I am speaking to you concerning his unsuitability. Regardless as to why he is so evil, the fact remains he is evil. You are too good, too promising to be involved with the likes of him. There are many younger, better-suited wizards available, Miss Granger. You would be better off to take up with one of them,” he said reasonably.

Dumbledore was avoiding the issue of his part in the Professor’s descent into evil. Hermione didn’t like when people didn’t take responsibility for their actions. And to think, the Headmaster piled all this additional responsibility on her shoulders when he could not, or would not admit Snape’s current situation was partially his fault, if not totally. He could have at least acknowledged he played some part. His lack of truthfulness made the cold feeling in her belly grow. She could imagine him manipulating the strings on Snape’s limp body.

“I’ll consider what you’ve said, Headmaster,” she replied non-commitally.

Dumbledore knew he hadn’t scored any points on this exchange. The witch saw that Snape served him, and that his actions were a reflection on the Headmaster as much as himself.

“Thank you, Miss Granger. Now as to the next issue I would like to speak to you about are our plans for after graduation. You will be moved into your own private rooms at twelve Grimmauld place, given your own set of labs and begin developing Spells to use against the Dark Lord,” he said, smiling at her.

Hermione looked at him. Now was the time to spring her news on him.

“Actually Headmaster, I planned to take a year off and spend it with my family in muggle London. I’ve been under a lot of stress these past two years at Hogwarts, and I need some “me” time. I miss my family, and want to enjoy them before I get totally immersed in Order work,” she said.

The Headmaster’s smile disappeared.

“But Miss Granger, we need you to begin work as soon as possible,” he said haltingly.

“I can still do some spell work at home, Headmaster, and deliver them to the Order as they are completed. I just wouldn’t be living at Headquarters. I need this time off, sir,” she said with finality.

Albus felt like shaking the young witch. What was she thinking? He couldn’t let her go off to live with her parents now that her powers were coming to fruition. He would have to stop her from going. He gave her a kindly look.

“Very well, Miss Granger. If you feel you need to get away from the magical world for a time, then that is your prerogative,” he said,

Fawkes gave a worried trill from her perch. Albus looked sharply at the Phoenix before returning his gaze to Hermione and continued:

“But I want you to remember that Voldemort is a threat to not only our world, but the muggle world as well. If he should come into full power, after subduing the magical world, he will turn to the other. We need you, Miss Granger. Very badly. Your skills combined with your intelligence can help us defeat him. We have Harry, but we need more to be sure his evil is stopped. Yet you are entitled to live your own life. I only hope that you will not forget your responsibility to help end his madness. If a year off is what you want, then by all means, take it.”

Hermione was surprised. She thought he would argue with her, try to manipulate her into staying and doing what he wanted. Maybe Snape was wrong about him. He might be pushy, but he was being reasonable. She smiled at the Headmaster.

“Thank you for understanding sir,” she said, “and I won’t turn my back on my responsibilities. I just need to get out from under them for a while. I really appreciate your support in this.”

“Of course, Miss Granger. I only want what’s best for you,” Albus replied, his blue eyes twinkling.

“Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me, sir?” Hermione asked him, feeling much better about everything.

“No. No, Miss Granger, that about covers it for now. Later we will discuss what you can do for the Order while on your sabbatical,” he said, rising.

Hermione stood and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

“Thank you again, Headmaster,” she said.

“You’re very welcome, Miss Granger,” the Headmaster replied.

Hermione exited his office.

As soon as he was sure she was gone, the Headmaster slammed his fist on the desk in a fit of temper.

“That ungrateful little wench,” he breathed. “I spend all this time nurturing her, making her life easier here at Hogwarts and she wants to abandon me to go stay with mummy and daddy.”

Dumbledore’s visage grew dark, as dark as the one in Hermione’s vision.

“I believe I will have to handle this situation myself,” he growled. “Miss Granger will not abandon me for a month, much less a year.”

He thought about Snape. The Potions Master was in a good position to further influence the Primordial. He couldn’t allow that either.

“And in the process of handling this, I will destroy Snape’s hold on her as well,” he said to himself, sitting back down at his desk, “She won’t want him to come near her by the time I’m finished.”

The Headmaster gazed into space…making plans.

From her perch, Fawkes let out a despairing chirp.

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A/N: Man. Dumbledore is pissed, dangerously so. Hermione was on to him concerning Snape, but his agreeing to her taking a year off threw her for a real loop. Doesn’t look good at all. And what about the Sorting Hat? Yeesh. Please review.