Through the Looking Glass ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 30 ~ An Error in Judgment

”The Dark Lord has given me one week to deliver the Mirror of Erised to his stronghold,” Snape reported to Albus, who nodded soberly.

”Voldemort’s greed and desire for power will be his undoing. No doubt the idea of being the Headmaster of Hogwarts tickled his scales,” the Headmaster said. “But, that makes your job easier.”

”Perhaps, not as easy as it seems, Headmaster,” Snape replied. “I’ve been considering Miss Granger’s situation. I’m not sure the alternate Tom Riddle can be trusted to remove the deadly hex he placed upon her if left to his own devices, successful or not.”

Albus sighed. He had also thought about this.

”What are you suggesting, Severus?” the Headmaster asked him.

Snape told him, and Albus looked quite worried.

”But how will you justify that?” he asked the dark wizard. “Voldemort might take advantage of the situation.”

”I believe he will be too excited to give it much consideration, Headmaster. I think it is the best option,” Snape replied.

”It is quite dangerous, Severus. If you wish to do this, then you will have to explain the situation to Miss Granger and see if she will agree. If not, then we can only hope this Tom Riddle does have some honor,” Albus said, looking doubtful.

”Miss Granger is a logical witch. She will agree. It could mean her life after all,” Snape replied. “I will talk with her tomorrow.”

Albus took off his half-moon spectacles and wiped them thoughtfully with the sleeve of his robes before returning them to the bridge of his crooked nose and looking at Severus solemnly.

”We are taking a great risk doing this, Severus. Hopefully, it will work out. If it does, the wizarding world will undergo a major change. Of course, there will be challenges, but at least the murder of Muggles and Muggle-Borns will cease,” Albus said, looking older, if that were possible. “I’m so tired of bloodshed.”

”As am I, Headmaster,” Snape agreed, thinking he was also tired of serving two masters. If this worked, he’d be free of his spying and his service to the Order. He planned to resign immediately. It had been so long since he was in control of his own life, he couldn’t remember what it was like to do as he pleased when he pleased.

He excused himself and returned to the dungeons. He felt a strange sensation as he walked the quiet halls of Hogwarts. Something entirely alien to him.

As he let himself into his office, Snape realized what the unfamiliar feeling was.

Hope.

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Hermione was surprised when professor Snape held her after class and informed her that she was to come to his office that evening to talk about a very serious matter. She was dying of curiosity as to what he wanted to talk about. Maybe the mysterious going-ons.

But although she was curious, she was also embarrassed and self-conscious about being in the wizard’s presence. He knew what had happened between her and his counterpart. How did that affect him? What did he think of her?

She didn’t know, because he didn’t say anything. And . . . that felt infinitely worse than if he had. Every time Snape turned those narrowed black eyes on her, she knew that behind them was the knowledge of her actions in vivid detail. Still, somehow she knew he wouldn’t reveal it. Snape was a keeper of secrets. Surely, he would keep this one.

Well, hopefully he would.

Hermione exited the Potions class to find Draco Malfoy standing a little ways up the corridor, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. He was sneering at her, as usual. She made to walk past him when he suddenly straightened and blocked her way. They were the only two in the corridor.

”Hold it, Granger. I have a bit of news for you,” Draco drawled at her, his gray eyes hard.

”Tell it to the Prophet, Draco. I’m not interested in anything you have to say,” she told him, trying to walk around the wizard. Draco shifted so she couldn’t.

”You’ll want to hear this. It’s about your counterpart . . . what she did the night you returned,” he told her, a nasty smirk playing around his lips. “It’s very interesting.”

Hermione stared up at him. Her counterpart had been in Slytherin house, and she had no idea what went on. She wasn’t friends with any Slytherins. Maybe Draco did know something important.

”What is it, Draco?” Hermione asked him.

”Well, first, she tried to suck out my tonsils,” the pureblood said, pursing his lips a little as Hermione turned bright red.

”And then, she fucked professor Snape,” he finished.

Hermione felt the corridor swirl around her, and felt Draco catch her in his arms as she swooned.

”Just the reaction I thought you’d have,” he purred as Hermione got her bearings and wrestled away from him, straightening her robes.

”You’re lying,” she hissed at him.

”I’m not. I walked her to his office. It was after curfew. He didn’t know I was with her, and when she knocked, he grabbed her and pulled her into his office, telling her to ‘get in here.’ He called her something too, something unflattering, but I couldn’t hear what it was because he closed the door so quickly,” Draco said, his eyes narrowed as he studied Hermione. “Professor Snape never sees anyone after curfew. You know that. There’s only one reason he would accept her into his office after hours, Granger, and that would be to fuck her. Plus, I was sitting in the common room when she returned a few hours later, and she looked thoroughly reamed. Her hair was frizzy, she had on no makeup and she was walking funny. I know he shagged her.”

He let this sink in, Hermione looking at him silently, not responding. He continued.

“And I tell you, Granger, she would have done me too if she had stayed long enough. But I didn’t want her after Snape had her. It’s disgusting. She was a pig.”

Hermione stared at Draco, processing this information, feeling as if the whole world had gone mad once again. Her counterpart was with her professor Snape at the same time she was with his counterpart? Damn. It could be possible. They could have been in synch. But she pulled herself together. Draco clearly wanted to see her lose it. Cry, perhaps. Well, she wouldn’t. She lifted her chin.

”Well, what does that have to do with me, Draco? That’s between my counterpart and Professor Snape. It has nothing to do with me at all,” she said.

Draco’s face twisted a bit.

”What do you mean it has nothing to do with you? Doesn’t it bother you that the professor did things with a carbon copy of you? I bet he knows every inch of your body, and probably stuck his cock in every hole. I’ve heard about him, you know. He’s a deviant. He might as well have been fucking you. I bet he thinks about it every time he looks at you,” Draco said. “Now that you know what he did, it has to affect you in some way. You’re disgusted aren’t you? It’s like you’re a slut by association.”

That was it.

”Shut up, Draco! It wasn’t me, so I have nothing to feel ashamed or guilty about,” she snapped at him.

”But how about revolted? You do feel revolted, don’t you, Granger? The gods know I would,” Draco pressed, wanting to see a reaction of shame and revulsion from the witch.

Hermione just stared back at him, and Draco’s eyebrow arched.

”You’re not revolted,” he said in a low, disbelieving voice. “Don’t tell me . . . tell me the idea of shagging Snape turns you on?”

”No!” Hermione said vehemently, trying not to think about the alternate Snape.

Draco studied her, noting her deep blush.

”I don’t believe you, Granger. Tell me, did you fuck the other Snape, too?”

Hermione suddenly pushed past Draco.

”Just leave me alone, Draco,” she hissed back at him as she quickly walked away. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

”I know you’re hiding something, Granger. I bet you spread your legs for that Snape in the other world, too. I take it back. The other Hermione wasn’t the only pig. You both are!” he called after her.

Hermione didn’t reply but broke into a run, tears filling her eyes.

Draco heard a satisfying sob echo back and smiled nastily. No, he’d never have Granger, but he could torment her to offset his own feelings.

The wizard turned to head for Slytherin house, and his smile faded as he looked into the eyes of one Severus Snape. The Potions master had heard yelling in the hall and eased out of his office, standing in the shadows and listening to Draco bait Hermione.

”Mr. Malfoy,” he said softly, his black eyes glittering. “I thought you understood that what goes on in the dungeons, stays in the dungeons.”

Draco swallowed and looked the wizard in the eyes. They looked rather deadly as Snape considered him. He felt like bashing the stuck-up little wanker in the face, but as a teacher, that would never do. Hermione would have found out about his tryst with her counterpart, because he intended to tell her, but in a very detached way. A way that wouldn’t embarrass her and certainly without details. Draco had ruined that, however.

”Don’t you have anything to say for yourself, Mr. Malfoy?” Snape asked him.

”No, sir,” Draco croaked, paling significantly.

Snape frowned at him, then turned toward his office.

”Come with me, Mr. Malfoy. I intend to show you how I deal with students that break Slytherin tradition as well as banter my personal life about for entertainment,” he said coolly. “You’ve made a grave error in judgment, Mr. Malfoy. I assure you, you won’t make that particular mistake again.”

Snape walked back down to his office, his robes billowing, and entered, leaving the door open behind him.

Draco looked about, seeming to think about running. But where could he go? Snape would find him eventually. Damn it.

Slowly, Draco walked down the corridor towards his comeuppance.

As the pureblood entered the office and saw Snape’s contorted face as he took down one of the jars from the shelf behind his desk, he hoped the wizard wouldn’t poison him.

”Sit down, Mr. Malfoy,” Snape said to him, pointing to the rickety chair in front of his desk before unscrewing the lid of the jar. It had pieces of what looked like plants floating inside it. At least it didn’t contain one of those horrible pickled creatures.

Draco sat, and nearly gagged at the strong, vinegary smell that filled the office.

Snape drew his wand and flicked it at him, binding him in place. He dipped his finger into the liquid. It was as thick as slime as it clung to his finger, stretching before dropping off, leaving a good amount on his fingertip.

Draco’s eyes widened with horror as the wizard slowly walked around his desk, holding his finger up as he approached him. Draco couldn’t move or make a sound.

Snape stopped a moment to address him.

“As you know, Mr. Malfoy, breaking Slytherin tradition can result in your being expelled from the house at my discretion, and forced to stay in makeshift quarters until the end of term, no questions asked. The shame on you and your family would be terrible and follow you for the rest of your life. The only reason I don’t expel you is because of my association with your father. If you tell him about this punishment, I am sure you will be the one to come out on the bad end of it. Your father respects tradition and will be livid that you revealed something you had no business revealing. So, this is the lesser of two evils, Mr. Malfoy. Believe me when I say, I am being magnanimous.”

Draco’s gray eyes rested on that dripping finger as Snape brought it close to his face.

”Now, this won’t hurt a bit, Mr. Malfoy,” Snape purred.

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A/N: Sorry about the wait. With the new grandbaby and real life, I took a breather. :::shakes head::: Draco, Draco, Draco . . . bad judgment indeed. Now Hermione knows what her counterpart did, and who. Lol. Well, we’ll see what happens. Will she ask Snape about it when they meet later? And what is Snape doing to Draco? My, so many questions. ;) On another note, I made a simple little website for my granddaughter Tiana, showing how her mother locked her hair. It’s a little 10-step tutorial. Tiana, who’s five, is thrilled at having a site. I’m hoping a few of you will stop by and leave her a little message in the comment section. She’d love that, and so would her mom. The link is http://tianashair.figgilicious.com. Thanks for reading. ***