The Cat's Meow
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
5
Views:
18,651
Reviews:
17
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
5
Views:
18,651
Reviews:
17
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own any part of Harry Potter and I do not make any money from writing this
Does a Cat Have Nine Lives?
A/N: Thank you for the reviews! (Wolf Soul: in reference to the two fourth years becoming fast friends, I believe I mean Luna and Ginny, not involving Hermione...) I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long to finish. *blushes* School caught up to me. >.> The only reason I finished this one is because I'm sick and have taken to watching HG/SS videos on youtube xD And sorry it's so short. But here you go!
The door creaked open as soon as she tapped lightly on it. Hermione stepped in, her ears twitching apprehensively. She had left them uncovered. Why be uncomfortable now? Malfoy was obviously going to make her life miserable.
Snape wasn't in the classroom, but there was a door in the back that gaped open, letting a companionable spill of warm yellow light out. She made her way towards it, her feet cat-soft on the stone floor.
It led to his office, she discovered when she peeked around it. Snape was sitting at a large oak desk. The walls were lined with bookshelves overspilling books, something Hermione would have ordinarily been fascinated with, but now could only focus on the man in front of her. He looked absorbed in yet another heavy tome, but looked up at her approach.
"Miss Granger," he said, his voice sounding just a trifle warm towards her. "I notice you aren't wearing your hood this morning..."
"Malfoy pulled it off," she blurted out, feeling the humiliated tears burning at the corners of her eyes. She felt safe enough to cry in front of Professor Snape, she realized with a start, falling into a chair in front of his desk. Even her bones seemed to vibrate with tension.
"I see." He didn't look surprised, she noticed. Resignation crossed his face, so briefly she thought she must have imagined it. "Well, at the present moment, there is nothing you or I can do about Mr. Malfoy's actions. I called you here for another reason entirely."
"Yes, Professor?" she asked, trying to adopt a more professional tone. Tears still burned in her eyes, though, and she had to sniff indelicately.
"I was studying all the books I possess on jinxes last night, trying to determine if your condition could be cured," he said. "As far as I can tell..."
Hermione leaned forward in desperate hope, her eyes widening. Please, she begged inwardly. Please let there be a cure...
"There is no cure," Professor Snape said slowly. "I am sorry, Miss Granger."
She sat, frozen in her chair, unable to believe what she had just heard. Despite all that the other teachers had told her, what Dumbledore had told her, she had still held onto the lingering hope that someday, somehow, the jinx would be reversed. She could be fully human again.
Now Snape was telling her that it could never happen.
Tears overflowed, spilling down her cheeks in a scalding trickle. She barely felt them as she stared down at her clasped hands, hating the pointed look to her fingernails, the ears that twitched on her head, the uncomfortable way her tail felt squashed beneath her.
"What if I cursed them off?" she asked, her voice thick and hoarse and barely recognizable.
"They would regrow," he said honestly. He looked unsure of himself, as if he wanted to comfort her and didn't know how. "If you did it enough, it would kill you. I can't allow you to do that, Miss Granger."
"Why not?" she said, bitter, the tears refusing to stop. "It's not like you give a damn what happens to me..." Hermione stopped, shocked at what she had just said. He's a teacher, you can't tell those things to a teacher! her mind yammered at her.
"Miss Granger!" Snape snapped. "Of course I care what happens to you, you are a student at Hogwarts and as such, under my professional responsibility." She hung her head lower, shame burning the tips of her ears.
"And I care for you as a person, as well," his voice gentled. She peeked up through her lashes, an oddly feline gesture, and noticed that his face looked softer, more vulnerable, more uncertain. She'd never seen her Potions professor with that expression, and she didn't know what to do about it.
"Sir?" she said hesitantly. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing, Miss Granger," he said smoothly, the mask firmly back in place. Hermione stifled a sigh of disappointment. "It will be time for breakfast soon, I suggest you get ready for it."
"Sir! But--but what about Malfoy?" she stammered, forgetting, for the moment, her professor's flash of vulnerability.
"I'll deal with Malfoy," he assured her. "Now go, Miss Granger."
"Thank you, Professor," she said, allowing a shy smile to stretch her lips. "And Professor? I care about you as a person, too," she blurted the words out, desperate to get them out before her throat locked up. Shock slackened his face and Hermione had to giggle. He looked poleaxed.
"See you at breakfast, Sir," she said and ran out.
The door creaked open as soon as she tapped lightly on it. Hermione stepped in, her ears twitching apprehensively. She had left them uncovered. Why be uncomfortable now? Malfoy was obviously going to make her life miserable.
Snape wasn't in the classroom, but there was a door in the back that gaped open, letting a companionable spill of warm yellow light out. She made her way towards it, her feet cat-soft on the stone floor.
It led to his office, she discovered when she peeked around it. Snape was sitting at a large oak desk. The walls were lined with bookshelves overspilling books, something Hermione would have ordinarily been fascinated with, but now could only focus on the man in front of her. He looked absorbed in yet another heavy tome, but looked up at her approach.
"Miss Granger," he said, his voice sounding just a trifle warm towards her. "I notice you aren't wearing your hood this morning..."
"Malfoy pulled it off," she blurted out, feeling the humiliated tears burning at the corners of her eyes. She felt safe enough to cry in front of Professor Snape, she realized with a start, falling into a chair in front of his desk. Even her bones seemed to vibrate with tension.
"I see." He didn't look surprised, she noticed. Resignation crossed his face, so briefly she thought she must have imagined it. "Well, at the present moment, there is nothing you or I can do about Mr. Malfoy's actions. I called you here for another reason entirely."
"Yes, Professor?" she asked, trying to adopt a more professional tone. Tears still burned in her eyes, though, and she had to sniff indelicately.
"I was studying all the books I possess on jinxes last night, trying to determine if your condition could be cured," he said. "As far as I can tell..."
Hermione leaned forward in desperate hope, her eyes widening. Please, she begged inwardly. Please let there be a cure...
"There is no cure," Professor Snape said slowly. "I am sorry, Miss Granger."
She sat, frozen in her chair, unable to believe what she had just heard. Despite all that the other teachers had told her, what Dumbledore had told her, she had still held onto the lingering hope that someday, somehow, the jinx would be reversed. She could be fully human again.
Now Snape was telling her that it could never happen.
Tears overflowed, spilling down her cheeks in a scalding trickle. She barely felt them as she stared down at her clasped hands, hating the pointed look to her fingernails, the ears that twitched on her head, the uncomfortable way her tail felt squashed beneath her.
"What if I cursed them off?" she asked, her voice thick and hoarse and barely recognizable.
"They would regrow," he said honestly. He looked unsure of himself, as if he wanted to comfort her and didn't know how. "If you did it enough, it would kill you. I can't allow you to do that, Miss Granger."
"Why not?" she said, bitter, the tears refusing to stop. "It's not like you give a damn what happens to me..." Hermione stopped, shocked at what she had just said. He's a teacher, you can't tell those things to a teacher! her mind yammered at her.
"Miss Granger!" Snape snapped. "Of course I care what happens to you, you are a student at Hogwarts and as such, under my professional responsibility." She hung her head lower, shame burning the tips of her ears.
"And I care for you as a person, as well," his voice gentled. She peeked up through her lashes, an oddly feline gesture, and noticed that his face looked softer, more vulnerable, more uncertain. She'd never seen her Potions professor with that expression, and she didn't know what to do about it.
"Sir?" she said hesitantly. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing, Miss Granger," he said smoothly, the mask firmly back in place. Hermione stifled a sigh of disappointment. "It will be time for breakfast soon, I suggest you get ready for it."
"Sir! But--but what about Malfoy?" she stammered, forgetting, for the moment, her professor's flash of vulnerability.
"I'll deal with Malfoy," he assured her. "Now go, Miss Granger."
"Thank you, Professor," she said, allowing a shy smile to stretch her lips. "And Professor? I care about you as a person, too," she blurted the words out, desperate to get them out before her throat locked up. Shock slackened his face and Hermione had to giggle. He looked poleaxed.
"See you at breakfast, Sir," she said and ran out.