Lendoren

Harry Potter belongs to Jo, the fic to kelokelo, the translation (and Severus) to me

Chapter beta’ed by Tanit


Chapter 22. Explanations (2)


"What map?" Severus wondered. What were they still hiding from him? It was all the more curious than the voices had dropped after Potter’s exclamation. Good, it was time he got explanations. He cast an Alohomora on the closed door and brutally opened it before Hermione had time to rail against him once more.

“What is that story about a map?” he asked to everyone at large. “Since when do you own a Hogwarts map?”

Hermione miraculously found her shield back at that moment, which allowed her to have time to think, but not too much time either, and without Severus hearing her. She found there was only one solution to their predicament.

“I require you to give me explanation,” he resumed in an icy voice.

Harry, Ron and Ginny didn’t know what to say. They might be two levels higher than the dungeons, but in the end, they could believe themselves in the Potions classroom. And they were in trouble…

“There’s nothing more to say about it.” Hermione was loosing her temper. “And since when do you eavesdrop?”

“Hermione, if you have a map of Hogwarts, it’s my duty to know.”

“Then I’ll recall you your duty stops when you come here, you’re not here out of duty. Or so I hope,” she added, even more furious, “for if it’s a duty to sleep with me, ‘storm’ won’t begin to describe what will happen in this room!”

“Oh, no, you’re not going to play with words, Hermione. You know what I’m speaking about and you’re going to let our personal relationship outside of this. It’ll be my pleasure later to show you that I’m not here out of duty, but I want to know what it is about before.”

“I am not going to tell you, not unless you stop considering knowing everything is your duty as a teacher.”

Harry, Ron and Ginny witnessed the whole conversation, utterly gobsmacked. They now knew why Hermione had become synonym with drafts as late. She had to battle over everything to prevent the Professor from acting with her only like a teacher. Well, of course, there was the time they spent in the bedroom… Ron and Harry had grimaced when Severus had alluded to Hermione’s bedroom, but they weren’t idiot enough to even think they should interfere in this quarrel between lovers.

Severus and Hermione had locked eyes, each of them was as furious as the other. The first because he guessed a lot of mischief had been committed thanks to that Map and he hated to think about the dangers they’d faced, and the second to have been trapped in an impossible situation. She feared Erwin would try to get his hands on the Maraudeur’s Map, especially when he knew who had created it.

Hermione shot a look to Harry and spoke in a quieter manner:

“I’ll tell you on two, or rather three conditions. And If you don’t agree to them,” she said louder for Severus had already opened his mouth to protest, “you can as well climb the stairs back down to your dungeons and stay there for this night and the other nights!”

Severus was seething but he couldn’t resist this kind of threat. He shot her a dark look, but closed his mouth.

“My first condition,” Hermione resumed, “is that Ron, Harry and Ginny agree to tell you. The second condition is that you leave the Map in the possession of… the one who currently has it, and you don’t try to get it by any mean. The third condition is whatever happens here won’t be held against us in your classroom, and you’re not supposed to talk about it to anyone either.”

"I understand there are five conditions and not three, aren’t there?"

“And who’s playing with words now?” Hermione replied.

Harry, Ron and Ginny looked at each other. They didn’t know what to think. On one hand, to show their Potions Professor the Map would probably remind him of certain… episodes, as if he wasn’t in a foul mood already, and the risk that he would take it out on them in one way or the other was very real, even though Hermione had stated firm limits. On the other hand, they understood that Hermione didn’t have much of a choice. She was facing her companion, who would be that for the rest of her life, and so she couldn’t begin their life together by hiding things. Harry bitterly regretted his loud exclamation which had begun that fiasco, all the more because he had a sure feeling that, as soon as he’d make his decision known, Ginny and Ron would follow. He had understood Hermione had mentioned all three of them not to let a clue about who the real owner of the Map was. He doubted this ruse would work for long but then, they gained a few minutes thanks to it. He felt that all eyes were on him, and he fixed Hermione. He then saw what had escaped him so far, or what he didn’t want to see. She was torn between her friendship for them and her love for the man in front of her. She seemed to be the only one in this school, except for Dumbledore, to be able to make his Potions teacher yield to their will. He had to acknowledge as well that the man didn’t take reprisals against them in the Polyjuice story. He sighed deeply and said somberly:

“If he promises everything you’ve asked of him, Hermione…”

Ginny and Ron nodded to show they approved. Hermione watched Severus intently. Everyone was waiting for his answer. Severus didn’t show it, but he thought Harry’s approval told a lot about his trust in Hermione. It was his turn to choose now. Hermione was really controlling the situation, he didn’t like the choices that she had asked of him. Either he promised and he would be chained, he would know what he wanted to know, but he wouldn’t be able to prevent them to commit future mischief. Or he refused to promise, but the scenarii which were twirling in his mind were too distasteful to be considered, and had bad consequences in their couple, which he wanted to avoid at all cost. In short, she was playing his love for her against his duty as a Professor. She probably was conscious of it but she couldn’t hide she was anxious. She wasn’t sure what kind of decision he would make. He didn’t have a choice, but it was out of question that he would grovel in front of three students. Hermione, why not, but never in front of Potter and the two Weasleys.

“My dear,” he said in her mind, “I promise to you, but don’t even think that I would say so aloud.”

“I think I know it, Erwin,” she answered while her eyes misted with tears.

“And I never came here out of duty, my dear, but only out of desire and love,” he finished softly.

Harry, Ron and Ginny didn’t know what was happening between them, but their expressions were less angry and when they saw Hermione throw herself in his arms, they didn’t know what to think. They were positively flabbergasted when they saw the tenderness on their Potions’s teacher features while he dried a tear on Hermione’s cheek. Hermione staid snuggled against him a bit, and then she turned to Harry and told him:

“It’s still in the same place?”

“Yes… but…”

“He promised, Harry, and… . Here is the Map, Erwin…”

Severus perfectly remembered that piece of parchment which looked faded. He turned to Harry and said ironically:

“I nearly confiscate that piece of parchment from you, if I’m not mistaken.”

Harry could but nod.

“And Lupin prevented me from doing it, if my memory serves me well.”

Harry nodded again.

“And it insulted me generously?”

Harry had to check a smile. Severus sighed deeply and added aloud:

“I told you, Hermione, that the Maraudeurs had always brought rotten luck to me! Now, tell me how it works.”

Harry glanced at Hermione, and she nodded. He said in a smothered voice:

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

The Map unfolded itself in front of an incredulous Severus. But who could have made such extraordinary Magic? He couldn’t check an exasperated sigh when he saw the Map’s name: the Maraudeur’s Map. He shot a dark look at Hermione who was bursting out laughing in his back. He first took an interest in the passageway between Hermione’s and his bedrooms. The spiral staircase was perfectly drawn…

He sighed and just gave the Map back to Harry.

“I don’t even want to know more, but I keep in mind this Map does exist and its possibilities. I don’t dare imagine which use you put it to all these years. But when I’ll meet Lupin, I’ll have something to tell him.”

“Only if you have the right to tell him you’re my companion, before you take your anger on him,” Hermione reminded him.

He shot her an exasperated look:

“It’ll be a nice holiday to me when you stop being always right.”

Ron couldn’t help but laugh, which earned him a dark look from his teacher:

“I’ve kept telling her that for six years. It’s good to have another one doing it.”

Severus chose to leave Hermione with her friends and simply told her:

“I’m waiting for you next door.”

“One last thing,” Hermione resumed, pointing to Harry and Ginny. “You both. You can go on using the spare bedroom as you did since the beginning of the school year, just remember it’ll be four to use the bathroom in the morning.”

When he heard this, Severus froze in the doorstep and said in Hermione’s mind:

“That’s why we fought? Just because Weasley and Potter want to fool around?”

“Erwin! Are you mocking me? It seems to me you’re very interested in fooling around.”

“It’s not like that, we’re companions, Hermione.”

“As for me, I don’t see the difference between their love and ours. The only difference is they chose each other, unlike us!”

Severus didn’t add anything and closed the door behind him.

Ron left them to go back to Gryffindor tower whereas Ginny and Harry headed towards the spare bedroom, locked in a tender embrace. Hermione sighed and went into her own bedroom. She was surprised to see him already waiting for her in what had become their bed from now on. His face was expressionless, but he said quietly:

“Come to bed, now. It’s getting late. I don’t want to hear now everything that Map had allowed you to do.”

He just took her in his arms when she climbed into bed and whispered:

“I will not tolerate you to have another lover than me, Hermione.”

“There won’t be, Erwin, but it must be a reciprocal thing.”

“No problem there.”

End of flash-back.

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It took several days for Ron and Harry to admit that their Potions teacher was their best friend’s lover. They saw her go through different colours: anger, laugh, joy, without them doing anything. Step by step, reluctantly, they came to admit that the general feeling which emanate from Hermione was happiness.


Once again, thanks to you who read and sometimes take time to leave a review


Bella Snape: that's what I like in this story, all their arguing.


firewall: took her long enough, didn't it?


lisa: it must be bizarre to have two conversations in the same while, but the Lendoren have to manage it all the time. There are several lemons in this story, but I don't remember in which chapters exactly.


LVanna: **blushes** that's what happens when you're influenced by your fist language. I'm trying not to make mistake, but it seems they're as unavoidable as rain where I live.


sheedy: thank you


Citten: does this chapter answer your questions? And you're welcome to point me any remaining mistake, mispellings, etc.