An Unlikely Savior ~ (Edit) COMPLETED

Chapter 36 ~ An Exercise in Futility

Ron was silent as Hermione finished telling him what had happened on the grounds of Hogwarts, how Severus tried to unfairly punish Eileen for walking out of class when she was upset. Ron had listened very carefully, offering nothing.

Now Hermione looked at him.

”So, what do you think, Ron?”

Ron looked up at her.

”You really want to know?” he asked her.

Hermione nodded. Whenever Ron asked “Do you really want to know what I think?” it meant he disagreed with her in some manner.

”All right, then. It’s good you came to Eileen’s aid with the Board, Hermione. She needed defending, and I’m sure Snape appreciated that—“

”Yes, he thanked me for it. That was before he found out about the detentions. Then he became furious.”

Ron nodded.

”Can you blame him, Hermione? I mean his daughter purposely arranged it so he wouldn’t know what she’d done. Not only did she deceive him, but she used you, too. She knew you wouldn’t do anything about the detentions. Maybe she had her reasons for walking out of class, but it’s what she did afterwards that makes her in the wrong. If Eileen had felt in the right, she wouldn’t have tried to hide what she did from him. And you coming to her defense like that might have been out of line.”

”Out of line? How was it out of line, Ron? Eileen was hurt and embarrassed when she left that class. He was too pig-headed to see that! To take away her ball privileges was unnecessarily mean,” Hermione argued.

Ron sighed.

”Hermione, the reason it seems out of line to me is that whenever we punish Rose or Hugo for something they’ve done, we always put up a united front. You didn’t do that with Snape. You took Eileen’s side without seeing his point at all. How do you think I’d feel if you called me a monster in front of either one of our children when I was trying to discipline them? If not for you, Eileen would probably have taken her punishment, gone home and just gone to the St. Valentine’s ball instead in February. Missing the Christmas ball wouldn’t have been the end of the world. Now look. Both Snape and Eileen are miserable. He’s been raising her his way all this time, and she was used to it. Personally, I think she deserves to be punished. Not for walking out of class, but for what she did afterwards to hide it. Defending her didn’t help, Hermione. Snape isn’t the enemy. He’s her father.”

Hermione just stood there. Ron did make a good point—but she hadn’t seen it that way when she was there with Snape and Eileen.

”I don’t like Snape, but he’s managed to do a decent job of raising your daughter, Hermione. He deserves some credit or at least respect for that. His family dynamic is changing too, and as selfish a bastard as he is, that has to affect him. He feels betrayed that Eileen didn’t listen to him, and in your presence. She’d just met you, but you seemed to have more influence in one day than he did after years taking care of her. How would you feel if it were you who raised Eileen and Snape just showed up and she—flipped alliances.”

”But that’s not what happened, Ron. She just felt he was being unfair and wanted to go to the ball,” Hermione said softly.

”I’m sure she’s felt he’s been unfair before but still obeyed him because he is her father, Hermione.”

Hermione sat down on the sofa next to Ron and looked at him in silence for about three minutes, then she said, “How in the world did you get so smart, Ronald Weasley?”

Ron shrugged.

”I don’t know. Maybe it’s all the logic I’ve been immersed in for all these years,” he said with a smile, bumping Hermione affectionately with his shoulder. “And, I’m a dad. I mean, we’re partners when it comes to dealing with the children. You and Snape aren’t and I think you need to be to some extent. It’s always worked for us and for my parents. You don’t think we tried to play them off each other when we were growing up? They were too smart for it though. Eileen’s your daughter, Hermione, but you’ve got to be a real parent, not her friend. It’s not your fault you weren’t there for her, but now that you are—you have to be a mum just like with Rose and Hugo. You would have been mad too if we weren’t together and one of them pulled something like that.”

Hermione knew Ron was right. She would have been furious if one of her children hid something they’d done by only telling Ron, especially if he did nothing about it.

She sighed.

”I think I need to go and talk to Severus,” she said softly.

Ron’s eyes went hard.

”Now, wait a minute, Hermione. You don’t need to go that far. Snape’s not a child. I don’t know if he ever was—but he doesn’t need you showing up and rubbing his big nose in what happened. He probably just needs to cool off.”

Ron didn’t like the idea of Hermione going to see the dark wizard alone. As supportive as he was, he was still Hermione’s husband, and jealous of her. She and Snape had sex before, and in the back of his mind, that was an issue that he wisely didn’t say anything about. It might not have been because of mutual attraction, but it still happened. Hermione could deal with Snape as a mutual parent, but that’s all the interaction they needed. He didn’t like the idea of her going to “comfort” him.

”But the fight between him and Eileen probably wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t added my two Knuts, Ron. You’ve shown me that much. I think I really need to apologize to him,” Hermione said. “And make up some terms to follow when dealing with Eileen.”

Damn it. Ron didn’t mean for this to happen when he gave her his honest opinion. Now Hermione’s bleeding heart was weeping buckets for Snape, who would probably be just fine without her saying anything.

”I’m going to go see him before I go to work in the morning,” Hermione said with finality.

”Well, I’m going with you,” Ron said quickly. “I mean, I’m involved too. Eileen is technically my stepdaughter so I need to be in the loop as well.”

Hermione gave him a small smile.

”You’re so thoughtful, Ron,” she said, giving him a peck on the cheek, having no idea he was going to make sure nothing untoward occurred. He trusted Hermione, he just didn’t trust Snape not to take advantage of her.

”Yeah,” he said shortly.

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Eileen half-heartedly ate one of Molly’s small cakes. It was delicious, but she couldn’t fully appreciate it because she was so upset.

She’d disobeyed her father. It would have been so much easier if he had yelled at her and threatened her. If he had gotten angry, then she wouldn’t feel so bad. His quiet response and obvious disappointment did more to shame her than any word shouted in anger could possibly do. He just left her to her decision, and blamed it on her mother’s influence.

Eileen had to admit to herself that if Hermione hadn’t been there and so clearly on her side, she would have just accepted her father’s decision and not gone to the ball. She’d been caught after all and her father was simply reacting the way he always did when he caught her in the wrong. Punishing her by taking something away.

And her mother told her to go to the ball. Eileen wasn’t sure if she was right to tell her that after what happened with her father. She hadn’t really liked when Hermione told her that she wasn’t her father’s little girl anymore. She was. She’d always be his little girl.

Eileen sighed. Well, the damage was done, and Alsop was looking forward to the ball. She’d go, but when she went home she’d have to patch things up with her father and have a heart to heart with him. One thing she decided was never to use her mum to get around her father again. It was just too painful, not to mention disrespectful. He deserved better than that.

She walked over to her bureau and picked up her comb, then sat down on her bed. She had washed her hair, conditioned it and let it dry. She was going to braid it so it would be curly-crinkly at the ball.

Eileen just hoped she could enjoy herself. Right now it felt as if there was a black cloud over everything around her.

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Ron and Hermione woke up very early the next morning, had a quick breakfast and then went down to the Ministry. It was still closed, but Ron could get in since he was an employee. They went to the tax office and looked up Snape’s home coordinates. Using those coordinates, Hermione made a Port Key out of a paperweight resting on the clerk’s counter. It was safer than blind Apparition.

They left the Ministry, and stood outside of the telephone booth that served as a secret elevator. They both grasped the paperweight and breathed “Portis.”

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Odessa was awakened by cawing and something plucking at her hair. She rolled over to see Raucous standing on the bed with his beak open.

”Wha—who are you?” she asked the bird as if he could answer her.

Raucous frowned, although she couldn’t see it because it was a birdie expression that only other birds could see. He plucked at her hair again and made a racket. Snape shifted next to her.

Odessa sat up, rubbing her eyes as Raucous flew to the top of the wardrobe, cocking his head as if listening. Someone was knocking at the door. He cawed at Odessa to go answer it.

Odessa heard the knocking.

”I’m coming,” she said sleepily, stretching, then getting out of the bed. She looked around and saw Snape’s black house robe and black fuzzy slippers.

Fuzzy slippers? She would never have thought it. But he wore them because they were warm and comfortable. Odessa slipped on the robe and tied the sash, then stepped into his slippers. She hurried through the house and opened the front door. There was a tall, red-headed wizard and a short brown-haired witch standing on the doorstep.

“Yes?” she asked politely.

Ron’s eyes rounded at the shapely witch that answered the door. Maybe he didn’t have to worry about Snape putting the moves on Hermione if he had that for a bed warmer.

Hermione looked at the woman, slightly taken aback. She thought the former Potions master lived alone.

”Um, this is where Severus Snape lives, isn’t it?” Hermione asked.

”Yes, it is,” Odessa replied, wondering who these two were.

”Well, I’m—we’re here to talk to him. I know it’s terribly early, but I figured he’d be up because he has to go to work,” Hermione explained.

Odessa was about to tell Hermione Snape was there, but was still asleep when a groan sounded behind her, then a slightly hoarse voice said, “Odessa, what are you doing here?”

Odessa turned to see Snape standing there in his boxers and barefoot, looking as if he’d been run over by a tribe of trolls. Hermione looked around Odessa and Ron looked over her head, both of their eyes rounded.

”Um—it’s a long story, Severus,” she said, stepping aside so he could see the visitors. “You have company.”

Snape’s bleary eyes focused and he blanched as he saw Hermione and Ron.

”What are you doing here at such an ungodly hour?” he demanded, feeling bad enough without seeing the woman who turned his daughter against him standing at his front door.

”I—I came to apologize,” Hermione said.

Snape stared at her, then at Ron, his face twisting.

”Don’t bother,” he hissed. “Odessa, close the door.”

Odessa hesitated.

”Severus, that’s really ru—“ she began.

”I said close the damn door!” Snape snarled at her.

Odessa looked at Ron and Hermione apologetically.

”I’m sorry,” the prostitute said, then whispered. “Maybe you should send him an owl or something.”

Then she gently closed the door. Snape would have preferred that she slammed it, but that would have killed his head.

Ron and Hermione stood on the steps.

”He’s still a disagreeable bastard,” Ron said to his wife. “This wasn’t worth the effort.”

”He looked hung over to me,” Hermione said as they began walking away from the house. “Maybe Odessa was right. Maybe I should send him an owl apologizing and asking to get together with him to discuss Eileen.”

Ron wished she had thought about that before. But Hermione liked to charge right in and do things face to face.

“You do that,” Ron said crankily as he and Hermione Disapparated.

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There were no classes at Hogwarts, and the student body was all a-buzz about the ball, witches gathered in tight knots discussing gowns, shoes and dates, wizards whispering their hopes about getting the witches out of those gowns and shoes, which was the usual teenaged fare.

All the grade levels attended the Christmas ball. Usually the first and second years arrived without dates because they were young, although there were a few experimenters, stiff and formal as they played at being couples. Third years might couple off as well, if they were a bit daring. It was the fourth years and up that felt the pressure to come to the ball with dates, that pressure increasing the higher the grade level.

When Albus had been Headmaster, only fourth years and up could attend balls, mostly because of the spiked punch that inevitably appeared during the night. But Minerva was quite vigilant and stopped the practice with a firm hand, instilling the use of alarmed punch bowls that would sound off horribly if someone tried to add anything to the contents. Albus could have done that too, but he rather liked the spiked punch.

Rose Weasley didn’t have a date for the Christmas ball. She’d been asked, but wasn’t ready for the pressure of going with a boy. She had enough family to have fun. James had a date with a fellow housemate named Amanda, and Albus had her friend, Jennifer. Both young wizards were quite interested in the mystery that was witches and hoped to get their hands on the most interesting parts of their dates before the night was over. If not the parts, at least get a good snogging out of the deal.

The level of excitement even managed to make Eileen feel a little giddy, especially when Alsop accosted her, all grins and smiles.

”Wait until you see what I’m wearing,” he said to the witch, who scowled at him. Her hair was covered by a black scarf, the fabric rather bumpy over the braids. Alsop wisely didn't comment on it.

”It better not be one of those tuxedo printed t-shirts, Alsop,” she hissed at him.

Alsop laughed.

”No. They were all sold out,” he quipped, which only made Eileen frown at him more.

”Don’t worry, I’ll be presentable,” he promised, striking a pose in an imaginary suit.

”You’d better be, or you’ll be the only newt in attendance,” the witch told him warningly.

All whispered comments about her parentage had stopped immediately after Hermione showed up breathing fire and brimstone all over the Great Hall. She wasn’t a witch to mess with, and cool to boot. Besides, Christmas vacation was coming up and there was the ball to think about, both of which were more important than who Eileen’s mum was. Young people lost interest in scandals quickly. Well, most of them. Eileen was still on the Ravenclaw radar.

But nothing would be done before they returned from the holiday, so she was put on the back burner by the Eagle house as everyone readied themselves for the night’s festivities.

There wouldn’t be a band this year. Minerva had hired a popular DJ who played a nice mix of old and current music, everything from waltzes to club music. The students always enjoyed themselves as well as the staff.

It was going to be a fun night.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.