A New Beginning (DH -COMPLIANT)

Chapter 76 ~ Severus Learns a Secret

The kids spent a fun week at the site before returning to Hogwarts. Rod practiced his flying with Rose and Hugo and improved somewhat after frightening Rose to death by falling off his broom after a mid-air collision with her brother, both she and Hugo streaking after him. Fortunately, Rod did know the spell to avoid impact and stopped falling a mere foot off the ground.

He and Rose also took a nighttime flight together the night before Rod was to leave, when the full moon looked close enough to touch, Hugo and Hermione watching them with smiles on their faces from the door of the worksite. Hugo was invited to fly with them, but declined. The Gryffindor wanted them to have some “alone time.”

It wasn’t the most romantic flight, with Rod shaking all over the place. He might be a natural dancer, but flying was work. Rose slowly led him about, their silhouettes visible on the face of the moon.

“I really enjoyed having you here, Rod,” Rose said to him as they slowly flew side by side, “It was fun.”

”Yeah, it really was,” he agreed, concentrating.

Rose fell silent. She didn’t know what to say to the wizard. Even a troll could see that she liked him, but it seemed Rod, although not oblivious to the possibility, wasn’t willing or was too shy to ask her to go out with him. The Valentine Dance was coming up, and Rose Weasley couldn’t imagine going to it with anyone other than Rod. He had inadvertently stolen her heart.

Rose was used to more aggressive wizards. She’d been asked out dozens of times by a number of students from different houses. She had never had a boyfriend for more than a month however. Schoolwork and her own personality often got in the way. Rose hated being smothered and in the beginning of every new relationship, there was usually quite a bit of it. She didn’t believe Rod would hover around her every minute of the day. He liked his alone time as well. Besides, Rod was the kind of wizard who wasn’t the least bit intrusive, even if he were there. He wasn’t overly talkative, and when he did talk, it was never about himself, which was another thing Rose couldn’t stand, wizards trying to impress her with stories about how great they were.

Rod did like Rose, but didn’t have the nerve to tell her, much less ask her out. Things had improved a lot for him, but essentially he still was the loner and the outcast inside. The one everyone looked down on. Oh, he knew if he worked hard he would eventually accomplish something meaningful and worthwhile in his life, but again, it would be because he worked at it, not because it was handed to him. But right now, he didn’t think he was good enough for Rose Weasley. So he did nothing but be her friend.

“I wonder why Rod won’t ask Rose out, mum?” Hugo said to his mother as he watched his sister and Rod fly in slow, lazy circles in the moonlight. “It’s easy to see she likes him.”

Hermione watched the young couple for a moment.

”I think he’s too shy, Hugo. A lot has changed for him in a little bit of time and that can be overwhelming, especially when you’re used to nothing going right and maybe feel a bit undeserving of happiness. Rod has to find his comfort zone. When he does that, maybe he’ll be interested in pursuing other things, like witches,” Hermione said to her son.

“He doesn’t even seem like a Slytherin, mum. Not the kind I’m used to,” the young wizard observed.

“Not all Slytherins are going to be the same, Hugo. Rod’s proof of that. But he wouldn’t have been sorted into the house if he didn’t have the tendencies,” Hermione assured him.

”I wish he was in Gryffindor,” Hugo said wistfully.

Hermione smiled at her son.

”You really like Rod, don’t you?” she asked him, thinking back in her day, friendship with a Slytherin would have been frowned upon.

Look at her now. She was sleeping with one.

”Yeah, I do mum. He’s one of the coolest wizards I know,” Hugo responded.

Hermione studied her son for a moment, then got up the nerve to ask the next question.

”What do you think about the Professor?” she asked him.

”He’s okay,” Hugo replied, “Now he acts like a Slytherin. Looks like one too.”

Hermione laughed. Severus did have a rather sinister look about him even in the best light. It was easy to imagine him lurking in the shadows someplace, rubbing his palms together while wickedly planning the demise of all who opposed him.

“Yes, but he’s a good man, Hugo,” she said to him, smiling to herself at the ridiculous image of the Potions master in her mind.

”I know. He is mum,” the boy replied. “And he really likes you. I think he wouldn’t treat us so nice if it wasn’t for you though.”

Hermione scowled as she thought about what Hugo probably considered “nice.” Hermione had been in the kitchen preparing dinner when she heard uproarious laughter coming from the living room. Severus was in there with Hugo, Rose and Rod. She peeked out and found the three young people gathered around the coffee table with their fingers stuck in a small Pensive, while Severus sat on the sofa with a little smirk on his pale face.

She walked in and looked at the frozen children, then at Severus.

”What are they viewing?” Hermione asked him.

”A collage of sorts. Hogwarts history,” he replied, looking innocent. Well, as innocent as it was possible for Severus Snape to look, which made Hermione instantly suspicious. Hugo broke out in wild laughter and both Rod and Rose grinned.

”What kind of history are they watching?” Hermione asked him.

”Actually my early memories of you at Hogwarts,” he replied.

Hermione scowled. She could only imagine what he’d put in there. Presently the kids came out of the Pensieve, laughing. Rod was the first one to see Hermione and sobered quickly.

”Hi Mrs. Weasley,” he said loudly to alert Hugo and Rose their mother was present.

Rose looked up at her mum, her mouth forming an “O” before she too sobered.

Hugo however laughed even more, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked at his mum.

”Wow, mum. You were such a know-it-all. How did anybody stand you?” he asked her, “And you turned yourself into a cat?”

He started laughing again, Rose and Rod doing their best not to join in and garner Hermione’s wrath.

“Give me that Pensieve,” Hermione said, snatching it off the table, walking over to an armchair and sitting down in it, sticking her finger into the swirling silver liquid. She fell still.

Rose, Rod and Hugo looked at Professor Snape.

”You might want to be gone when she comes out, Professor,” Hugo said with a wicked grin.

Severus arched an eyebrow at him.

”I can handle it, Hugo. Believe me. She’s roared at me more than once. I find it entertaining,” he said calmly, his black eyes shifting toward the witch, who was frowning now.

Rod quickly found a reason to leave the apartment, followed by Rose. Hugo stayed however. He wanted to see the fireworks.

Hermione came out of the Pensieve, looking at Severus with narrowed eyes.

”I bet you thought that was pretty funny, didn’t you Severus?” she asked him softly.

”The children certainly found it amusing,” he replied, just as softly.

Hermione’s amber eyes shifted to Hugo, who had a grin on . . . waiting.

Severus had put in a horde of memories with Hermione walking around Hogwarts with her hair looking like a bottle brush, carrying loads of books, jumping up and down in class trying to answer every question, storming out of rooms, yelling at Ron and Harry and lying in the infirmary in cat-creature form. He had also added when Draco made her two front teeth grow to enormous size and how she looked when she was studying something to the exclusion of all else, Ron casting freshening charms on her.

“Well,” she said, pulling out her wand and removing the contents of the Pensieve, “I have one memory that the children will find interesting. It’s about you.”

Both of Severus’ eyebrows rose at this.

”Well, if it is a memory of me being less than doting, I’m sure it will be of no surprise to them,” he responded.

“Oh no. In this memory, you’re dancing,” Hermione said.

Hugo and Severus both looked startled.

”Dancing?” he said with a glower, “That is, no doubt, a falsified memory.”

Hermione gave him a wicked grin as she removed a silver memory thread from her head with the tip of the wand and lowered it into the Pensieve. She stood up and set it on the coffee table in front of him with a victorious smile.

”Take a look,” she said to the dark wizard, who scowled at her and leaned forward, placing a finger into the bowl. Hugo joined him.

This sounded like it was going to be good.

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Hermione was very young . . . a first year at a Quidditch match, looking through binoculars across the stadium. She was looking at Professor Snape. He was younger but looked much like he did now. Ron was sitting next to her, looking worried as Harry held on to his bucking broom for dear life.

"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.

"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape -- look."

Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.

"He's doing something -- jinxing the broom," said Hermione.

"What should we do?"

"Leave it to me."

Severus watched as the little bushy-haired witch raced along the row behind him, knocking Professor Quirrel headfirst into the row in front. She crouched down, pulled out her wand and pointed it at the hem of his robes, igniting them with a blue flame. About thirty seconds later the wizard was indeed dancing, as well as yelping. Hermione quickly scooped the flames into a little jar in her pocket and took off.

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Hugo came out of the Pensieve first, delighted.

”Mum! You set Professor Snape on fire? Oh wow!” he laughed as Severus scowled at her blackly.

”It was you!” he hissed at her, “Why you little . . . pyromaniac! I never did find out how the hell I caught fire!”

Hermione gave him a self-satisfied little smirk as Hugo cracked up.

“Yes, it was me,” she gloated, “But I did feel bad when I found out it was Quirrel and not you who tried to kill Harry. But now, I’m glad again. Imagine, showing my children those memories about me.”

”Not one of those memories showed anything untoward. Yours, on the other hand, shows you attempting to roast me alive,” he seethed at her. “You would have been expelled for that!”

“But I wasn’t, was I?” she said smugly, “I got away with it.”

Severus’ eyes glinted.

”You think so, do you?” he growled at her.

“You can’t deduct points from me now, Severus,” the witch said, sticking her tongue out at him, which only served to make him madder. But he got control of himself. Severus had a real thing about getting people back who’d wronged him, even if it happened decades ago. Maybe Hermione would have done better to keep this little tidbit to herself. But the doxy was out of the cage now.

”No, I can’t,” he said silkily, “But there are other ways to repay you . . .”

”Whatever Severus,” Hermione said dismissively, scourgifying the Pensieve and returning to the kitchen, feeling vindicated.

Severus arched an eyebrow at the departing witch and said no more about the incident.

But it wasn’t over. Oh no.

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Severus returned the children to Hogwarts, Hermione kissing and hugging Hugo, Rose and then a rather surprised Rod, who flushed furiously.

”Now study hard, and we’ll see you this summer,” Hermione said to them fondly as Severus looked at them soberly.

”I expect to see your flying skills vastly improved by then,” he said to the young wizard imperiously.

”Yes sir. They will be,” Rod replied.

”Me and Rose will work with him, Professor. Don’t worry,” Hugo said to the dark wizard.

Severus nodded.

Both witch and wizard watched as the three young people walked toward Hogwarts, disappearing over a rise. Severus turned to Hermione.

”You’ve already missed an hour of work,” he snarked at her.

She was back on the clock.

Hermione sighed.

Severus was clearly back in form.

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A/N: Some of the dialogue and descriptions in this chapter were taken verbatim from the first HP book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Thanks for reading.