A Secret Worth Keeping

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, only those that I created myself. Please do not harm me in any way. I only do this for fun.


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A Secret worth Keeping

Chapter twenty-four: Pandemonium


Pandemonium definition: Scene of din and commotion.


Pandemonium was the word that came to Severus’s mind when he and Draco returned to Dumbledore’s office after their little side conference. To amusamusement, Albus stood high on his desk, waving a hand in the air for the two to enter and close the door behind them.

Screams and insults issued from one group and the other. Drowning out the nearly unbearable screeching of students old and current, Severus’s eyes scanned the room searching out and identifying all those involved in the foray. When one DA member rose a wand towards a RAT member, he finally bellowed out.

“Silence…Immediately!”

His voice was like a bucket of ice water. The crowd suddenly stilled and widened eyes fell on his dark frame. The abrupt hush rang throughout, only faint breathing could be heard over the din of rapid heartbeats.

“Thank you Severus.” Albus finally greeted him with a tight smile. “I’m grateful that you and Draco were able to attend this meeting once more.”

“Mr. Malfoy and I…had to discuss something of no importance to this matter, Headmaster.”

“Of course, Severus, but now that you have the floor perhaps you can start off this meeting?” Albus leapt from the desk with the grace that belied his years, landing neatly on his feet.

Severus walked forward and was inwardly gratified to notice that the mass of students parted before him like the Red Sea. He was no Moses. He was fighting for his people yes, but he wasn’t fighting for his God. He was fighting against a man who saw himself as a God.

His eyes were dark as he turned them on to the group. “Misters Potter, Weasley, Malfoy and Zabini. Would you please come forward to stand beside me?”

The boys stepped forward and each member took up positions next to Snape yet staying as far away from their enemy’s side with the formidable body of the Professor between him. Severus pulled his wand from the midst of his cloak, transfigured Albus’s desk into a long table, and indicated for the boys to sit. The rest of the groups settled where they could find room either on the floor or perched on a chair or available footstool. Severus stood alone looking out over the disgruntled group, first of all he had to do something to get the two groups to work together. He first turned to Harry.

“Mr. Potter, choose from your group any two members.”

Harry frowned at the request and turned to Ron who consulted each other before Harry named two. “Garrett Wyman and Michel Churchill.”

Severus nodded then turned to Draco. “Mister Malfoy, Mr. Zabini, choose two from your group.”

Draco cocked his head, thinking, before turning to whisper with Blaise. After a few moments they seemed to agree and turned back to name their chosen two. “Desmond D’Lacour and Marcus Bradbury.”

Severus nodded. “Will the four mentioned people please rise and stand before the council table?”

Two boys from each group slowly got to their feet and went to stand before their leaders. They warily eyed the other two with obvious mistrust and hatred.

“I appoint you four as DaRat liaisons. Mr. Wyman and Mr. D’Lacour will join up and Mr. Churchill and Mr. Bradbury. You will report any actions to the leaders, whether it is good rumors or bad, whether there are grumbling of discontent or praises. Anything you think needs to be reported regarding the merger of these two groups. The DaRats must learn to work together if our plans are to be successful.”

“How do you know if they are telling the truth, Professor Snape?” Harry asked giving D’Lacour a questioning look.

“Because…” Snape rose his wand and muttered a spell. The boy’s eyes widened as they felt a tingling sensation. “They won’t be able to. I cast a binding spell of sorts on them. From this day forward, or until they can learn to trust each other they will not be able to be more than 50 yards from the other.”

“So? What does that mean?” Draco moved to walk around the newly appointed liaisons that were busy glaring at the other.

“Do you know who Henry the VIII is?” Snape grinned.

“Yeah. He was a king, a monarch.” Harry supplied not catching on.

“And a womanizer.” Pansy’s voice volunteered with a disapproving voice.

“Yes, yes…but beyond that? He was a brilliant man, a ruler of many. He learned the art of pairing off enemies for his own benefit.”

Draco and Harry looked a bit confused at that but waited until he continued.

Severus leaned back against the table in a casual mode and let his voice drop into his habitual lecturing tone. “Henry the VIII had a hard time trusting his own messengers and ambassadors. He could never put all of his trust on one person. You see, one ambitious representative could easily lie in order to manipulate his King and how would the King know? Once the ambassador was out of his line of sight and into another’s kingdom, he had no way of knowing if the messenger was actually doing his bidding or simply acting on his own behalf. To counterbalance that, Henry had an idea, a stroke of genius. He decided to put two men together that were enemies and send them both out to do his bidding, knowing that the two would blab mercilessly on each other when they returned. In that regards, he found that each representative did nothing unfavorable towards the monarchy while they were out of his sight hence, giving the other man nothing to tattle on. In the end, Henry received appropriate information and honest reports.”

Understanding dawned on all.

“So, by forcing these two to stay together, and us all being…uh…in close quarters…they are bound to tell the truth?” Blaise stated looking quite impressed.

“Yes.”

“But the groups aren’t living in Hogwart’s yet. School doesn’t start up for two more days. We can’t force them to live together until then.”

“Not yet, but once the school starts up again. Two will have to switch houses.”

“What?” All voices rose in anger.

Snape rose his hand to quell the uproar. “It is for the greater good. Wyman will transfer over to Slytherin with D’Lacour…and Bradbury will transfer to Ravenclaw with Churchill. They will be within the same walls, and therefore be privy to all the gossip.”

“But no one will talk knowing that a Slytherin was among them.” Neville popped up unexpectedly. “Once Bradbury came in, I know all voices will cease to ramble. It’s not a good idea to throw a serpent in with a nest of Ravens.”

Snape gave Neville an appraising look, impressed that the boy would speak up in such a fashion. “That is where Mr. Churchill will comes in. He will make sure that Mr. Bradbury will be treated fairly.” Turning his eyes to the frowning brown eyes of the man in question. “Won’t you, Mr. Churchill?”

Michel Churchill turned his violet eyes back to the potions master and nodded in acquiesce. “I will make sure that he will be…okay...for the good of the new order.”

“Good, and I am sure that Mr. D’Lacour will do the same for Mr. Wyman.” He waited until his words were acknowledged with a nod from the young Slytherin before moving on. “Now that we have established that we can move on to new business.”

***

Hermione looked at the clock. It was now past eleven in the evening. Midnight wasn’t to far away and she hadn’t heard one word regarding the meeting. She was starting to get very irritated. She had put Sebastian down for his final sleep when she heard the outer door open. Hurrying, she left the nursery to see Severus gently close the door behind him.

“There you are…” She could barely keep the annoyance out of her voice as she strode to where he stood.

“I do apologize, Love, but things were progressing very nicely and I didn’t want to keep it until later. We had come to quite a few understandings this evening.”

Hermione found herself jealous, jealous of the fact that she wasn’t privy to the meeting. She crossed to the sofa and perched waiting for him to join her. When he made no move she sighed in irritation and patted the seat next to her.

“Tell me…I want to know all that happened.”

Severus removed his cloak and draped it on a nail in the wall before making his way over to take a seat next to her. “It’s a long tale, Love, perhaps it could wait till the morning? I’m quite sure you could use some sleep.”

“I know. I guess I can wait for that till the morning but I don’t think I could sleep until you at least tell me about Draco. Is it true? Does he know about Sebastian?”

Severus took her hand in his and twined their fingers together. His voice dipped low so as not to wake their son. “Yes, Its true. Seems that he merely guessed. He simply put one and one together and made three. Thanks to the unusually dark eyes of Sebastian and his name. I think we should place a charm on our son, Hermione. Draco pointed out that his eyes were too much like my own. We need to disguise that fact for now.”

Hermione sighed but nodded. “We can do that when we go out. I want to see my son’s beautiful black eyes when we are at .”
.”

“Naturally.” Severus gave her a smile and squeezed her hand tightly. “I don’t think I could stand to see Potter’s eyes on my child. It would simply kill me.”

Hermione leaned into his shoulder and ran a hand up his arm. “I still don’t like this façade. I know how important it is for us to do this, but It…it just feels wrong.”

“It will end soon, Love…Once DaRat accomplishes what I could not…”

“DaRats?”

Severus chuckled. “That’s the name that had been adopted. DaRats. Dumbledore’s Army and Revolutionaries against Tyranny.”

“DaRats…I like it. It fits.” Hermione laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer when he lifted his arm and settled it over her shoulder comfortably. “What’s going to happen now?”

“More meetings. More discussions.”

“With or without me?” Hermione looked up into his dark eyes.

“I would prefer without, but I know you. You wouldn’t be happy if you voluntarily were left out of all the ruckus.”

“You do know me.” She smiled beautifully up at him that made his heart jump.

“More than I should.” He pulled her against his chest and kissed the top of her head. “This group has a long way to go, but we don’t have to worry about Draco. He’s given his solemn vow not to discuss Sebastian’s true parentage with anyone.”

“Do you trust him?”

“Yes.”

Hermione laid her head against his chest and unconsciously twiddled with a button on his shirt. “Then I guess I shall have to too.”

“He doesn’t like the fact that Sebastian exists. He’s afraid that this will cause the apex of this war sooner than we expected, but he is willing to do whatever he can to bring this to a head.”

Hermione bristled a bit at Draco’s thoughts towards her son but she knew what he meant. Sebastian could be the cause of the final battle. “I guess that I can stay out of the meetings as much as possible. There is really no one that I would trust to keep Sebastian whee mee meetings are commencing except for Poppy and I don’t want to put her out to much, she has enough to do with her job here. I do however, expect to be kept abreast of everything that goes on in them.”

“I promise to relate every little thing to you.” He let his fingers twirl a lock of her hair thoroughly enjoying the intimacy.

She sighed and pulled away to look up at his eyes, which to her amazement were even darker as he gazed at her with such devotion. She felt her palms start to sweat. It was now or never. She turned and laid a hand on his chest. She leaned over and gently brushed her lips over his. She could feel his heart beating wildly beneath her palm. When she felt his lips pressed against hers more firmly, she pulled back to take a deep breath.

“What was that for?” He whispered breathlessly.

“I just…It’s…” She paused not quite knowing how to say what she wanted. “Poppy made me realize something today. She asked me how I felt about you. She…basically…told me to stop screwing around and tell you how I feel.”

Severus could feel his pulse speeding up at the words he was about to hear. ‘Please let it be.’ He consciously thought. “And that is?”

Hermione entwined their fingers again before she took courage and looked up at him again. “I think…I think I love you.”

Severus closed his eyes as her words washed over him. He felt blessed, scared, overjoyed and let down all at once. “You…think?”

“I just don’t know for sure, Severus. I know that I love when you are with me. I know that I love it when we talk and I know I love it when you are with our son. I just don’t know if I can…love…you properly.”

Severus frowned and turned sideways to take her face in his hands. “I am not going to pressure you, Hermione. As long as I feel that there is a smidgen of hope, I will continue to love you as you wish. If that is just from afar then fine, but if its more than that…”

“It is.” Hermione raised a hand to his lips to trace his lips tenderly. “I do want to love you. I know that won’won’t pressure me. You see that’s my problem, Severus. I don’t know if I can love you like you want me to. I don’t think I can be…intimate…with you.”

He pulled her into his embrace and ran a hand over her back tenderly. “If you can’t, then so be it. I have been years without physical relations. I think I can…wait…until you are ready, if you ever are. That is not why I love you. Yes, I think about making love to you. I am not going to lie to you, but…I understand why you don’t wish to be. It was my fault that you feel this way and I don’t blame you for not wanting my hands on you again.”

“It’s not your hands that scare me.” She turned a timid smile at him trying to joke her way out of this embarrassing situation.

He chuckled at her and kissed her once more. “Don’t worry about that part of me. I promise to keep it on a tight leash.”

“Thank you.” She returned his kiss, her hand gently caressing the back of his neck. His lips tasted sweet a dash of peppermint wafted from his breath. When she could feel his breath deepen she pulled slightly away giving him an apologetic smile. “I should get to bed now. You will tell me everything about the meeting in the morning?”

He sighed leaning his head back into the cushion of the seat and with a helping hand gently helped her to her feet. “I promise. Go to bed love.”

She walked back to her door and stopped, turning back to him. To her surprise she was somewhat delighted to see his eyes scan over her which caused her body to shiver. “I will see you in the morning then?”

“You will. Goodnight, Love.” He smiled standing to his feet to head to his own room.

“Goodnight…Severus.” She watched him move from the living area to his door before she squeaked out. “Severus?”

He paused with his hand on the doorknob and turned towards her. “Yes?” His breath was suddenly forced from him as he felt her arms suddenly hugging him tightly around the neck. Her lips found his and just as quickly left. He could feel her breath in his ear as she whispered urgently as if she was afraid that she would back out of the confession.

“I do love you…”

Then she was gone…disappearing into her bedroom leaving a confused but grinning Severus Snape standing at his do

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A/N’s and acknowledgements:


Deb: Thank you. I am so glad that you are enjoying my story. I am happy the way the conversations between all involved had worked out. I think all people have come out of them with a better knowledge. All children grow up, Its just sad that some kids have to grow up before their time. The meeting should be the next chapter. Please keep reading.

Ancientgirl: I think Hermione’s conversation with Severus will be highly insightful. Keep reading.

Scifichick774: More is coming. I hope you liked this chapter.

Tanya: I’m glad that you took the time to review. I don’t know if I wrote it for amusement value, but everyone gets something different from each reading. If you were amused by it then I am happy. I know this thing is so chock full of details it’s hard to believe that the baby is barely a week old. But…hell…It feels like he should be at least a year old now. LOL. I will go to FF.net and see if I can find that story of yours. Thanks.

Loraine: As always, you opinion means a great deal to me. Thanks honey. And I tell Frank you called her a him…shame on you! LOL

Snapeaholic: I will, thanks for taking time out to let me know you like this.

M: Impatient or not. I thank you for your review. It always makes my day. Blessed Be!

Ladydeathfaefie: As always, your thoughts mean a lot to me, darling…thank you!

PotionsMistressM: I am so glad that this story is one of your favorites. It amazes me that it has been so well received both here and at ff.net. I’m flabbergasted at its success. However, if it wasn’t for reviewers like you, it wouldn’t have gone anywhere. And for that, I thank you! Oh, Hermione and Severus really should end happily. I’m trying to make it that way.

Nesscafe: The first step in admitting you’re an addict is to come out and say it. I’M an ADDICT! To fanfiction. LOL. Well, I can at least admit it and you obviously did. Isnt it a great feeling to come out like that? he he. More chapters are coming up soon.

Baboon: Rather you review here or at ff.net is not matter to me. I am just glad that you take the time to let me know what you think. THAT matters a great deal. Much love.

Estrilda: Thank you. I’m glad you are enjoying this story.

Spaz141: I thought that he would be drawn to the gentle side of a Hufflepuff after all those Slytherins. I hope it’s not too unbelievable. She was cute. Thanks for reading and love to you too.

Davina Icaras: Yeah, not very eventful but a few questions were answered. Next to Severus, I’m a Draco girl. Love the bad boys. I’ll keep writing as long as you all keep reviewing…Deal? LOL.

Megan801:801: You weren’t rude. LOL. I am just glad that someone is so captivated by this story that they want it more often. I’m thrilled at that. I have never done a play in a competition. How interesting. You should IM me someday to discuss that. I would be very interested in learning about that more.

Chibidaima: Thank you. I appreciate your review.

Jordy: I’m very grateful to Rosmerta as well. I didn’t think thherehere would be that much conversation about it. It still astounds me how well received this story is. I love it. LOL. How old is your daughter? Sounds mischievous…LOL

Midnight Tiger: Thanks. I’m glad you liked the talks. I wanted to show that Poppy had strong maternal instincts for Severus. She would be the perfect grandmother for Sebastian…dontcha think?

Raven: LOL. Thank you. I’m so glad that this story is your favorite. Does my heart glad to read that. LOL. What you don’t like Susan Bones? I thought it was a perfect choice. LOL