A Terrible Temptation

A/N - Well, my bossy muses have insisted that I can recuperate perfectly well upright in front of a computer. I wish I could make them shut up, but I am dreaming the story now. Sigh. I am looking at about five to ten chapters left in my optimistic moments and twenty in my pessimistic ones. :) Everyone has so much to say. Kate has been an angel divine to beta so fast and furiously, I sent her four chapters yesterday and she fielded three back in less than four hours. Good beta - have a donut! I also re-wrote big chunks of TT, there is a ver.2.0 that I will post at some point soon. thanks again to my wonderful and charming reviewers who i love to distraction.


Chapter 27 – The Day After

Severus listened to Minerva’s report and then nodded politely and went to his chambers. He lay down on his couch, staring into space, and let himself hope just the tiniest bit that he would survive the coming war and have something worth living for afterwards. Finally he rose and went to his desk.

He sat down, pulled his copy of Cyrano towards him and searched for a passage. He knew the one he was looking for and when he found it, he took his quill and copied it out in his own handwriting.


Ay, true, the feeling
Which fills me, terrible and jealous, truly
Love,--which is ever sad amid its transports!
Love,--and yet, strangely, not a selfish passion!
I for your joy would gladly lay mine own down,
--E\'en though you never were to know it,--never!
--If but at times I might--far off and lonely,--
Hear some gay echo of the joy I bought you!
Each glance of thine awakes in me a virtue,--
A novel, unknown valor. Dost begin, sweet,
To understand? So late, dost understand me?
Feel\'st thou my soul, here, through the darkness mounting?
Too fair the night! Too fair, too fair the moment!
That I should speak thus, and that you should hearken!
Too fair! In moments when my hopes rose proudest,
I never hoped such reward. Naught is left me
But to die now! Have words of mine the power
To make you tremble,--throned there in the branches?
Ay, like a leaf among the leaves, you tremble!
You tremble! For I feel,--an if you will it,
Or will it not,--your hand\'s beloved trembling
Thrill through the branches, down your sprays of jasmine!

He set down the quill finally, his eyes blurred from some nameless hope that he could not articulate and he sent the letter that evening with the first feeling of peace his heart had known in many years.


Hermione was standing in the Common Room listening to Ron and Harry arguing and much was becoming clear. She was leaning against a wall out of sight of them and eavesdropping shamelessly. After all, she was thinking about ng tng the Head of Slytherin; she supposed she had better learn to be a bit sneakier.

“I suppose you think that it’s okay not to tell people things if it’s in their best interests not to know?” Ron was growling at Harry and Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he listened. \"You feel that you can make that decision for them?\"

“That’s not fair, Ron, this is different.” Harry didn’t look convinced by his own words and Hermione felt a savage satisfaction in seeing his discomfort.

“Isn’t it? It’s her life, Harry, you can’t make her decisions for her and that’s what you’re doing by not telling her.” Ron’s words were impassioned and honest and Hermione was moved by his plea on her behalf, even as she was angry at him for not telling her himself.

“You like him. Of course you’re on his side.” Harry’s retort set off fireworks in Hermione’s mind; Ron wasn’t adverse to this relationship? Another ally when the truth became known would be invaluable and to know that at least one of her two best friends would stand by her was warming.

“I’m on Hermione’s side, mate, which you should be too.” Ron came back at his best friend who winced under the lash of Ron’s anger.

“Touché, Ron.” Harry replied, but his voice had gone from upset to resigned.

“Then you’ll tell her?” Ron persisted.

“Yeah.” Harry grudgingly assented. Hermione decided to make Harry squirm a little bit in repayment for the weeks of deception.

“Tell me what?” She bounced into sight with a bright smile on her face. Ron grinned to see her but Harry looked sour.

“Um, nothing.” Harry stammered, but Ron poked him sharply in the ribs. “Uh, maybe you should sit down.” He corrected and shot a glare at Ron who was looking happier than he had in a while. It occurred to Hermione that this situation had been hard on Ron as well, that he had felt constrained not to speak of something that he felt very strongly about. Which wasn’t something he was used to doing at all, she thought with a great deal of amusement.

There was a long silence while Harry struggled with his inner distaste for Snape and then finally he blurted it out.

“Those six weeks that you like it it was Snape not me.” It all came out as almost one word. Hermione waited a beat and then shrugged.

“Oh that, I know. I thought this was something new.” She smiled benignly on the two gape-mouthed boys.

“When did you find out?” Ron looked quite amazed.

“Well the letters were a dead giveaway, Ron. Really, Slytherin green ink? It certainly wasn’t Draco writing them.” The two boys looked ill at the thought of Malfoy writing love letters to Hermione. She wasn’t about to tell them how long it had actually taken her to figure it all out; after all she had a reputation as a know-it-all to maintain.

“But how did you figure out it was him in my body?” Harry asked with wide eyes and Hermione smirked -- now for the coup de grace.

“Really Harry, it was so obvious once you were back. I mean, the mystery was how he fooled me in the first place, after all there is no comparison between the two of you.” She gave him the moment to feel smug about his superiority and then moved to crush his ego. “He’s a thousand times smarter, sexier and more knowledgeable.” She dropped her twenty-megaton nuclear warhead on Harry and saw it hit home with devastating effect.

“Hermione.” Ron breathed in awe at her skill in pulling the rug out from under their best friend. “You are so perfect for him.” Ron’s eyes were shining in admiration. “I just want you to know that I told him to skip the letters and just snog you senseless.” Harry winced.

“Please stop saying things like that. I want to eat some time this century.” He moaned while looking ill. Hermione ignored his theatrics and smiled broadly at Ron.

“Sadly, all snogging will have to wait until after graduation.” She admitted and Ron nodded in understanding. “After that though, I intend to jump him at my earliest convenience.” Ron burst out laughing and Harry looked decidedly g, bu, but Hermione just chuckled.


Ron watched as the owl came in the window to deliver Hermione’s latest letter from Snape. Hermione turned pink as she took it and Ron left her room with a grin on his face. He came whistling down the staircase from Hermione’s private chambers and ran headlong into Lavender Brown. She looked at his smiling face, then at the door to Hermione’s room behind him and turned pale. Her mouth dropped open and to Ron’s utter shock, she burst into tears and ran away.

Ron took a while to put two and two together, but he was capable of the occasional intuitive leap and just then he made a big one. His smile got much wider and he chased after Lavender with good will.

“Lavender, wait, it’s not what you think!” He called after her. She paused in her flight and looked at him in wary suspicion.

“Hermione is my best friend but there is nothing going on between us. That is long over.” Ron assured the damp-faced Lavender. She was looking up at him hopefully and he pulled a handkerchfromfrom his pocket and handed it to her.

He took a breath and decided to test his theory. “Next weekend is Valentine’s Day; you want to go to Hogsmeade?” From the way her face lit up, Ron guessed it was an affirmative, but her mouth was too busy on his for a verbal answer as she flung herself into his arms and kissed him. Ron kissed her back enthusiastically. It was good to be the King.