A Dark Scenario

Chapter 7 ~ A Heart to Heart

"Hermione! What are you doing here?"

Startled, Hermione jumped and knocked over a stack of parchments she had just finished getting into alphabetical order.

"Oh no," she groaned, bending to pick them up as Minerva approached. Hermione put the papers on the desk and looked at Minerva, who immediately looked alarmed.

"You look exhausted. How long have you been in here?" she demanded.

"Since about five this evening. Professor Flitwick didn't have the spells in order and I've been arranging them," Hermione replied.

"Since five? You're going to bed right now," Minerva clucked, catching Hermione by the arm, slipping her own arm through and leading her out of the classroom. "And why didn't you report to me to let me know you arrived at the castle?"

"I intended to—but the filing—"

"Well, before you touch another parchment, young lady, you will report to my office in the morning. You have some papers to sign and we have to discuss several matters. Now, I'll walk you to your quarters."

"You don't have to do that. I know how to get there."

Minerva's dark eyes darted about, looking at the shadows suspiciously as she continued

"I'd prefer to do it," she said shortly.

"But—"

"No buts. Now, let's go."

Hermione allowed Minerva to escort her to her quarters. Behind them, Snape stepped out of the shadows and watched the two witches until they mounted the shifting stairwell and disappeared from sight. Then he slowly walked down to the Charms classroom.

He stood at the door for a moment, his dark eyes resting on the stacks of parchments on the desk. He entered, the torchlight bathing him and giving him a somewhat sinister aura. He walked up to the desk and rifled through the stacks slightly, his brows drawn together. Then he stepped away from the desk and took out his wand.

He flicked it at the parchments, murmuring one of his own original spells.

"Verus Locus," he said softly.

The pages of parchment began to shuffle themselves, forming twenty-six new neatly piled stacks. Snape pointed his wand at the file cabinet.

"Alohamora," he breathed.

The first drawer opened. Snape pointed his wand at the first stack.

"Verus Locus," he said again, and the stack flew into the file cabinet, stood on end, and a divider slid behind it to hold it in place.

"Verus Locus," he said again, moving the next pile. He kept it up until all the parchments were in the proper place. He closed the file cabinet, spun on his heel and left the classroom.

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After breakfast, Hermione sat in Minerva's office. She had been scolded once more for not reporting to the headmistress, then given a contract to sign securing her as a teacher for two years. She would be under a probationary period for the first year. She was given a handbook to study about the rules she would have to follow as a teacher, her duties outside of the classroom and so forth.

"The job of Head of Ravenclaw will be given to Professor Sinistra, since it is required that the head of house be a former student of the house," she told Hermione.

Hermione hadn't even considered that.

"That's fine," she replied.

"Good," Minerva said, clearing her throat a bit. "Now, I want to let you know that you don't have to worry about Professor Snape. I've told him to give you a wide berth. I'm sorry that he's here, but the Board reinstated him as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. But if he does or says anything untoward to you, Hermione, I promise you, I'll get him out of here faster than I did when he was headmaster."

Hermione blinked at Minerva for several seconds.

"What?" she said in a near whisper.

"Oh, you poor thing. Still traumatized. I was just reassuring you that Severus will keep his distance—"

"You ordered him to stay away from me? But why?"

"Why? Because I know what he did to you, Hermione, and how horrible it had to have been. He's gotten away with both murder and—well abusing you. It has to cause you distress to even see him after—after what happened," Minerva said gently.

A scowl began to form on Hermione's face.

"He saved me," she said tightly. "He did what he did to save me, Minerva. That's why he was found innocent."

"He might have been let go, but he's definitely not innocent, Hermione. That man has committed atrocity after atrocity, using the designation of being Albus' spy to get away with it all. It's—it's unfair to everyone he's hurt."

"Being raped multiple times and then murdered would have hurt much more," Hermione hissed angrily. "You have no right to treat him like a pariah when he's been cleared in a court of law. You are walking all over his rights. I can't believe this."

"Don't defend him."

"Someone needs to do it. He would hardly defend himself when he was being charged. He was facing seventy-five years in Azkaban for saving my life. I'm not afraid to talk to him. I lived with him for a month and he didn't do anything to me but try and keep me comfortable until he could free me and Ron. He never tried to touch me or anything. Minerva, you are so wrong for doing this, for saying that to him. Hasn't he been through enough?"

Minerva stared at Hermione.

"Severus Snape is a fellow staff member, not a criminal. And I'm not a child that needs you or anyone else to protect me. I really resent you setting boundaries for me. You have to understand I'm no longer that little girl who walked into Hogwarts with round eyes and full of excitement. I've been through a war, Minerva. I've been tortured and seen people I loved killed by evil. Professor Snape was willing to give up his life to fight against Voldemort undercover. He nearly did. And this is his reward? Who else would have gone to the extremes he did to help Harry bring Voldemort down? He wasn't the kind of hero we were, the kind that got the glory. He did the dirty work that had to be done, the kind of work he'd be despised for and he had to know he would be. It didn't stop him. I believe he's the bravest of all of us and you should recognize that, too. Maybe you haven't gotten over the headmaster's death, or him taking the headmaster position, but you need to get past it and see him for what he is, not what he appeared to be. Because he wasn't what everyone believed he was. He was Dumbledore's man until the very end, and still is."

Hermione's eyes shifted to Albus' portrait, which nodded at her, but said nothing. Hermione rose as a silent Minerva looked up at her with wet eyes.

"You know, you, Ron, and a lot of people see Professor Snape as some kind of—inhuman monster. He's not. Harry couldn't have defeated Voldemort without him to distract him from knowing the truth about the Elder Wand. You have Severus Snape to thank for your very way of life being saved. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Hermione angrily exited the office, leaving a very chastened Minerva McGonagall behind.

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Hermione stormed right down to the dungeon area and knocked heavily on the Potions office door. It was the only way to access Snape's private rooms. After a minute or two, the door cracked open and Hermione could barely make out the narrowed eyes, protuberant nose and tight lips of Snape as he looked out at her.

"I just wanted to tell you that I spoke to the headmistress and told her she had no right to tell you not to come near me. I think it's terrible that she—"

"I don't need pity or a defender. Go away. I'm extremely busy." Snape hissed, then closed the door.

Hermione stood there, shocked and dismissed. Slowly she turned and walked back up the damp corridor.

Snape returned to his quarters, grabbed a few more books and climbed up the ladder, his mouth held tightly as he continued replacing his beloved books.

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A/N: And a bit more. Go Hermione! :) I got some good news today. An editor has asked to read the first three chapters of my novel: Protectors of the Realm: At Shimmers End. It's a trilogy I'm working on. Magic, War and Sex. No kids in his one, folks. This is Harry Potter XXX for adults but has no similarities except magic is involved. The company is Stonehedge Publishing, an ebook publisher, but there are perks, I get royalties and I retain rights to publish hardcopy. They've published a previous novel in ebook form called "It's All a Matter of Choice." It hasn't done too badly. Thanks for reading. ***