Lendoren

Disclaimer : original story by Jo Rowling, original fanfic by kelokelo, translation by septentrion, betaing by Tanit

Chapter 21. Explanations (1)

The last school days before the Christmas holiday went by very quickly. Severus convinced Professor McGonagall to get them a Time Turner and they used it either at midday or in the evening. The older Professor had imposed that restriction to Severus; she even made him promise to use it cautiously, but not without him protesting. But she had shut him up by just telling him:

“Miss Granger had used this Time Turner about two hours a day in her third year, she had lost five kilos as a result and nearly fell asleep in class. Do you really want her to go through that again, Severus? Whether you want it or not, her body is still growing, and according to Madam Pomfrey, to get accustomed to her new magic strains her a lot. So you need not only to make sure her days aren’t too long, but you must let her rest. Do I make myself clear?” She added ironically, “If you don’t do it, I’ll ask Madam Pomfrey to keep her in the hospital wing regularly.”

Severus was about to protest, but he could only grimace and give his word to the Transfiguration teacher.

When Professor McGonagall asked for the list of the students who would get back home during the holidays, Hermione knew that, whatever happened, she was going with Erwin. Harry, Ginny and Ron had decided to stay at Hogwarts this year. Harry and Ron now knew that Hermione and their Potions Professor had consumed their relationship. They were far from pleased with the news but Hermione thought that given the circumstances, they had taken it rather well.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash-Back

Harry and Ginny had been accustomed to using the spare bedroom in Hermione’s rooms. Strangely, since they knew Hermione’s Lendoren companion was Snape, Ginny had found myriads of excuses not to sleep there. Of course this displeased Harry. He also felt Ginny was sharing a secret with Hermione. One Saturday night, Harry gently but firmly grasped Ginny’s elbow and asked her:

«Ginny, will you come with me to Hermione’s rooms? Now, please?”

But Ginny’s reaction wasn’t the one that he expected. She seemed uncomfortable and turned to Hermione to silently ask for her support. Hermione grimaced, the moment she dreaded had come. She made her decision, the boys would know, but not every Gryffindor.

«Follow me», she told Harry and Ginny. «You too, Ron, come. We’re going to my rooms.”

While on their way, she contacted Erwin:

“I’m going back to my rooms, Erwin, but…”

“I’m coming,” Erwin answered her. He was impatient to be with her.

« No! Please, not now. I…first must tell Harry and Ron about us… »

“Haven’t you already told them?” Erwin couldn’t believe it.

“Hem…no,” she answered, restrained.

“Are you ashamed?” he said icily.

“No! What are you thinking!” Hermione exclaimed. «But honestly, you very well know you’ve been impossible with us for six years, so yes, I wasn’t in a hurry to tell them. I wanted them to see first how happy I’m with you before telling them everything!”

“When will I be allowed to come?” he said rather coldly. “If I’m allowed to, of course.”

“Do you do it on purpose?” she yelled. “What I’m going to tell them will not please them, even if they know it was meant to happen. And I don’t want you to flout them and add fuel on the flames. I know you won’t be able to help it.” She was furious.

Harry, Ron and Ginny were worried by how she looked, her expression was stormy, and there was a violent draft in the corridor they were in. Never a good omen about Hermione’s mood.

When she came in her rooms, there was no light, but the bedroom door was opened. The room was in the dark, which didn’t prevent Hermione to be wary and to close that door.

Once everyone was seated, she said nervously:

“Ron, Harry, you do remember what’s implied in the Lendoren companionship, don’t you?”

They nodded, feeling sorry for her, and Ron said:

“You know, Hermione, maybe you could find a better lover after… well… you catch my meaning,” he finished, blushing.

Hermione wasn’t sure she wanted to know what was Ron’s meaning, but on the other hand, she was sure that she had heard noise in her bedroom.

«If you go out of there, Erwin, I swear you’ll sleep alone in your dungeon tonight, is that clear?” she inwardly yelled at her companion. “That’s my problem and I’ll take care of it alone.”

She cast a colloportus spell on the door in the meanwhile. She’d hear him if he tried to unlock the door; it’d give her a warning.

«Ron,» she said brutally, for she was very annoyed, “I don’t need a better lover, I’ve got everything I need in my bedroom right now, understood?”

Ginny couldn’t check her laugh when she considered the explosive mix in front of her. Hermione was so very annoyed with Erwin (she mentally trained every day to call him that), while Harry and Ron were open-mouthed, probably repeating Hermione’s last sentence over and over in their heads to make sure they had understood it. And about their Potions teacher… he seemed to belong to the kind of people with a jealous disposition, there was something she couldn’t name which let her think that.

If Hermione had cast a Colloportus spell on the door, she must have had suspicions that he was here and had probably heard Ron’s remark. It was not hard to imagine the fury on his face. Yet she admired Hermione: she seemed to hold her ground in front of Erwin, and he had to give in to her from time to time.

Harry was the first to react. He couldn’t speak, but he pointed his forefinger to Hermione and then to the bedroom’s door for confirmation.

“Yes, Harry,” she resumed softly, “you perfectly understood. Erwin… has been sleeping with me for… a certain amount of time already. And yes, he must be already here, even if I’d asked him to stay in his rooms,” she finished, raising her voice for Erwin’s benefit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Severus nearly bolted out of the room when he heard Ron’s comment, but he bumped into the bed and Hermione had been alerted.

By luck, he’s made his shield as powerful as possible, so that Hermione didn’t seem to hear what he was thinking. The idea she could have another lover could drive him crazy. But he didn’t want anyone to see him vulnerable, even his companion.

Ron stammered:

“But… you can’t be happy… with that… that… bloke!”

“Yes, Ron, I’m happy with him. I know that it’s not logical at all, that we quarrel a bit more than couples usually do, and that I’ve already sent the quarter of the students to the Hospital Wing with my drafts, but… I’m happy,” she repeated defiantly.

Ginny spoke softly to let the boys time to wind down:

“Hermione, you’re going to get caught if he sleeps every night with you. I know that as a teacher, he can justify…”

“No, Ginny, we won’t get caught red-handed. It happens we have, as luck would have it,” she said in a tone which let them understand luck had nothing to do with it, “rooms linked by a secret passageway which comes directly from Erwin’s bedroom. So we can’t get caught, unless we forget to be careful outside of here.”

«A secret passageway?» exclaimed Harry. “But then, it must be on the Map…”

Ginny made him shut up with a dark glance and by pointing the door. God, don’t let their teacher hear about the Maraudeur’s Map…

Hermione shot him an exasperated look and whispered to him:

“Harry! It was hard enough for me not to tell him everything we did here, but if he hears about the Maraudeur’s Map, you can as well give it to him right now!”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Answer to reviews:

Citten: thanks for reviewing so faithfully. I tried to do some editing after reading your review, but it I had troubles to get to that part of the text in the edit function, it seems like I've been using some html tags aff doesn't like. So I just left it like it, I was afraid to lose too much of my text or my answer to reviews.


Bella Snape: thank you, your words mean a lot. It happens to me a lot, to neglect a story and then finding out it's a great one.


firewall: I never tires of hearing compliments, even though they make me blush! Severus has a very powerful memory, hasn't he? Thank you for commenting.

lisa: that's what I like most in this story, all the arguing they do. Thank for reviewing.