Yuleride

Chapter 32 ~ And the Drama Continues

When Ron awoke, he found himself seated in the living room in Arthur’s chair, his mother pressing a cold cloth to his head and clucking over him. George was seated across from him. His father wasn’t home yet.

“Ronald Weasley, haven’t you learned not to crowd Hermione? This isn’t the first time she’s stunned you during an argument,” his mother scolded him as he sat up and tried to focus. He pushed her hands away.

”But mum, I was just going to hug her and try and talk some sense into her,” Ron said, holding his forehead in his hand for a moment, then blinking across at George, who had his arms folded and was shaking his head ruefully.

“I saw how you charged her. I would have stunned you too,” Molly said, frowning at her son. “I taught you better than that! That’s no way to treat a lady.”

“Hermione’s no lady, believe me,” Ron replied. “She’s a witch all right, but no lady.”

Molly scowled at him, then threw up her hands.

”Honestly,” she huffed, leaving the living room. “I just don’t understand you sometimes, Ronald.”

George watched Molly go, then stood up and walked over to Ron, looking down at him.

”You went and told her about the blow job, didn’t you?” he asked his brother.

”No! I didn’t do that. She—she broke up with me because she’s going to go traveling with Professor Snape. He’s given her a job or something, the greasy bastard.”

It took a moment for this to sink in.

”What?” George intoned rather stupidly, moving aside as Ron stood up.

”She’s going to work with Snape. Abroad,” Ron said. “And she broke up with me so she could do it. She’s leaving Hogwarts too, as far as I know. I mean—she has to if she does it.”

George took this in, then shook his head.

”Tough luck, Ron, but you were lucky to have her as long as you did. Hermione’s just not really meant to be a housewitch, you know?”

Ron looked at his brother incredulously.

”What? What are you saying, George? You were all for me marrying her,” Ron said. “You, Charlie, Bill, everyone.”

”Yeah, well, you seemed to have your heart set on it, so no one wanted to bust your bubble, Ron. And it seemed she was willing to settle for being your wife—“

“Settle? What the hell do you mean ‘settle?’ There’s nothing wrong with being my wife. I’d be a good father and provider, just like dad,” Ron said defensively.

”I’m not saying you wouldn’t, Ron, but—some witches need more than that,” George said carefully. “Some need lives of their own. Not everyone is meant to be mum. Dad lucked up. There’s not a lot of Molly Weasleys out there. You—you just aimed too high and Hermione, she—well I don’t know what she was thinking. Maybe she was just being loyal to you because you were friends first, you know?”

Ron frowned at his brother.

”You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t even have a steady girlfriend. You never have,” Ron sneered at him.

”Oh, and you think it’s because I couldn’t get one?” George shot back at him. “I’m not in any rush to settle down, Ron. There’s a lot of witches out here and I’m going through as many of them as I can until I find the right one, and you can ask dad, the first one usually isn’t the right one.”

Ron stood there a moment, staring at the floor.

”I’m going to go talk to Snape,” he said sullenly. “Maybe he’ll retract the job offer if I lay it all on the line to him.”

George raised both eyebrows.

”Snape? You think Snape is going to help you? Snape isn’t going to care about your relationship with Hermione. What kind of job is it?”

”Seeking out potions and elixirs,” Ron told him.

George shook his head.

”Potions and elixirs? Ron, I hate to tell you, but you’re screwed. Snape gets wood over those things. If he’s hired Hermione to help him, it’s because he really thinks she can do it. He’s not going to retract the job offer, believe me.”

”I can still talk to him, and tell him how I feel about it, what Hermione’s going to lose if she goes with him. Her job, security—me, a family of her own. He has to have a heart somewhere in his greasy body.”

”Ron, you remember that short we saw at the Muggle movies once. The Grinch?”

Ron did remember it. A furry green man that lived on a mountainside and hated anything to do with Christmas. He stole all the Whatzits' presents and acted a real prat before he had a change of heart.

“Yeah?”

”Snape’s heart is probably five times smaller than his was, if he even has one.”

”I’m still going to talk to him,” Ron said stubbornly.

George shook his head.

Later that evening, Molly and Arthur found out about Hermione’s decision.

”She is quitting her job?” Molly asked Ron, who sat there miserably.

”She has to be. That’s the only way she could go with that git,” Ron muttered.

Molly shook her head.

”Someone needs to talk some sense into her. I know Severus Snape played a major role in the downfall of Voldemort, but he’s still not the kind of wizard one should trust. Deception is practically his middle name and a manticore can’t change its scales,” she said, frowning. “Imagine, giving up a secure future to go hunting—potions. It’s madness.”

Arthur didn’t offer anything. He was too wise to actually say Hermione had a right to do what she pleased. Molly had a very controlling nature while he was quite a mellow man. It was how they got on so well.

”I’m going to go talk to Professor Snape tomorrow, to see if he’ll retract his offer,” Ron told his parents.

Arthur’s brow furrowed. He was familiar with Severus to some extent. The wizard was the very epitome of determination once his mind was set on something. He’d go through nearly anything to accomplish his goals. Look at what he suffered through for the Order. Ron was going to have a hard time of it if he approached the snarky wizard.

”Ron, I don’t think Hermione would appreciate you approaching her employer,” Arthur ventured, hoping that the threat of invoking more of Hermione’s wrath might make Ron change his mind.

”She’s already furious with me, so what difference does it make?” Ron replied. “I’m going to talk to him wizard to wizard. It’s what I have to do.”

”Maybe I should go with you, Ronald,” Molly offered, thinking her presence might help.

”No, because if he says anything nasty to you, I’ll have to hex him, mum. Let me handle it, all right?”

All of them knew Snape was perfectly capable of saying a number of nasty things off the top of his greasy head at any given moment. Most of the things that came out of his mouth were nasty, the sour bat.

”Fine, Ronald, but I don’t want any dueling, understand me? You’re going to be on Hogwarts property and he’s staff. The law will be on his side if any hexes fly. Try being civil. Appeal to his better side,” Molly advised.

George snorted. He knew Ron would be wasting his time.

”What better side? Both of Snape’s sides are rotten,” he interjected. “He’s going to toss you out on your ear, mark my words.”

”He won’t be tossing me anyplace,” Ron growled as Arthur shook his head.

He hoped this didn’t go too badly.

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Hermione returned to Hogwarts rather late in the evening. Snape had been hovering around the third floor turret windows since after supper, when she left, watching for her return. He let out a little sigh of relief as he watched her stalk across the grounds of Hogwarts, taking long angry strides, her fists clenched at her sides. It looked as if she were muttering to herself.

Hm. Her conversation with Mr. Weasley must not have gone too well. He swooped away from the window and hurried down to the first floor landing to wait by her quarters. After several minutes, Hermione came storming down the corridor. And he was right, she was muttering.

”Of all the stupid, asinine, idiot things to say to me—“ she grumbled, stopping in front of her door and not even noticing Snape as she pulled out her wand.

”He’s lucky that’s all I did to him—“

”I take it your discussion with your beau wasn’t a—cakewalk,” Snape purred at her.

Hermione looked up at him, startled for a moment.

”Why don’t you make a sound or something?” she snapped at him, her irritation at Ron boiling over to cover the Potions master as well.

”Hm. Displaced aggression. Nice. I didn’t believe you had it in you,” Snape said softly. “Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”

Hermione removed the ward and opened her office door.

”I’m not in the mood for jokes, Severus.”

”Who said I was joking? O find it refreshing to see a Gryffindor being less than fair and not feel the need to feel guilty or apologize,” he responded.

”You would. Are you coming in?” she asked him, scowling.

”Just for a moment. I have papers to mark,” the wizard said, following her into her office and closing the door behind him.

Although they had committed to traveling together, they still were not at the point of kissing in greeting. Snape had a ways to go with that. It wasn’t his nature to be demonstrative just for the sake of being so. There was a purpose to his kisses when he gave them, and that was usually to receive much more than kisses.

He watched as Hermione angrily shrugged out of her coat and ripped off her hat, hanging them on the coat rack. Then she walked behind her desk and plopped into her chair with a long exasperated sigh.

Snape waited for her to calm down, standing there, his black eyes resting on her. Finally she spoke.

”I had to stun him,” she said. “He went for me, and I had to stun him.”

Snape’s brow furrowed.

”He ‘went’ for you?” he asked her in a low voice. His wand hand involuntarily twitched as he repeated her words.

Hermione looked up at Snape.

”I don’t mean went for me to hurt me. He was going to put me in a bear hug, to ‘try and talk some sense’ into me. That’s how he is. He’s been hexed before for doing it, but he never seems to learn. He only does it when he’s emotional.”

Snape relaxed somewhat.

”So, I imagine he knows then,” Snape said.

”Yes, he knows. He was a total git about it, but he knows. He threw gobs of guilt at me.”

”And do you feel guilty?” Snape asked her.

”A bit. Only where Molly is concerned. I thought—I thought I’d feel worse about breaking up with Ron, but after that big fight we had, I really don’t feel that bad at all. I think it’s because I realize he really doesn’t care about what I want. It’s what he wants that’s most important. That’s not love—that’s ownership. No one owns Hermione Granger but Hermione Granger.”

Snape arched an eyebrow at her, thinking he certainly ‘owned’ her Christmas morning. They never did have sex that night in the ROR, Hermione deciding to ‘talk’ about the ‘rules.’

Rules. She was a manipulative little minx. Snape could have refused any one or all of the little laws she laid down because of the oath, but then she could do just as she threatened, touch down in Egypt, and then head right back to England. He had very little barter room at all. But he kind of liked the way she had tied his hands. Not many could do it. Then again, Hermione did pluck at his emotions, and emotions always threw a wizard off his game. Especially one not used to sharing them. Hermione was going to take some getting used to, but he was sure it would all be worth it in the end.

”Well, I am glad that you handled your beau,” Snape said softly.

”Former beau,’ Hermione corrected him.

”Ah, yes. Former beau,” Snape said, reaching into his inner robes pocket and drawing out something small. He stepped closer to the desk and handed it to Hermione. She took it and looked shocked.

”A corporate credit card?” she spluttered.

It was green and silver and simply read: Snape Enterprises, Inc.

It had her name on it.

”Use that to get your passport and anything else you feel you might need in preparation for our trip. It is good in both wizarding and Muggle England. Always use it so I can have an account of my expenditures for when I recoup my money,” the dark wizard said. “If you spend your own money, you will not be reimbursed for it.”

Yes, Snape was very attracted to Hermione, but business was business.

”How generous of you,” Hermione said sarcastically, pocketing the card.

Snape’s mouth quirked.

”See? I am already improving, Socialization is doing wonders for me,” he replied just as sarcastically, and then gave her a bow.

”I must go,” he said to the witch.

”Good night, Severus,” Hermione said rather awkwardly now. She wasn’t sure exactly what they were, or if she should initiate some form of intimate contact. But she didn’t have a chance.

”Good night,” Snape replied, billowing out of her office and closing the door behind him.

Hermione let out a sigh, then took out the credit card and studied it.

”I hope I made the right choice,” she sighed.

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A/N: So Ron, in his infinite wisdom, has decided Snape is the wizard to talk to concerning this madness. Lol. This ought to be good. Thanks for reading. ***