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This Is The Way The World Ends.	By : tulipsaside Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 7312 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Chapter 10. Welcome to the Cruel World, Hope You Find Your Way.
That evening found Hermione and Harry sitting in Dumbledore�s office after receiving a missive for them to join him directly after dinner.

"Harry and Hermione, thank you for meeting with me. I have some very important information for the both of you that I thought better conducted in my office than another closet." He smiled at Hermione as Harry looked at her questioningly.

"I believe I�ve found a lead on one of the possible two Horcruxes."

Harry stood angrily. "You never said you told him," he shouted.

Hermione could feel herself getting annoyed. "Well, excuse me, I was under the impression that you had pressing matters in Hogsmeade today, and had yet to see you, let alone inform you of any conversations I had."

"Might I interrupt?" said the Headmaster quietly.

Harry sat down at once. "Of course, Professor, I�m sorry."

"Quite all right. Now, I..." There was a knock at the door. "Come in."

Professor McGonagall entered followed by James, Sirius, and Severus. Who Hermione could see was clutching his side and pinching the bridge between his nose to, no doubt, stop the bleeding. James and Sirius, she noticed seemed unscathed.

"Headmaster, I�m sorry to intrude, but these boys have been fighting again," she said stiffly, pushing Severus in the room harder, Hermione observed, than the other two of her own house.

"I do believe we had this discussion before at the end of term last year, gentlemen? I thought it was settled that you three would either get along or steer clear of each other." He stopped looking directly at Severus, "I�m afraid that this is my final allowance for such actions. You three will serve detention and I will write a letter to each of your parents."

Severus gasped, "Headmaster, please there must be..."

"I�m afraid not, Severus. Further more, and I�m surprised at you for not taking our last conversation on the subject seriously, if you are caught fighting again, it will be expulsion."

Hermione jumped to her feet. "Aren�t you going to even ask what happened? I�ve been here for a week Headmaster, and I�ve seen those two attack him on several occasions when he warranted no such attack."

"Will you be quiet? This does not concern you." Hissed Severus.

She looked to him, "It isn�t right." She started.

"Miss Granger, please be seated, Severus, is correct. The matter is closed, please put it out of your mind. Boys, return to your dormitory."

Severus wrenched his arm free from McGonagall�s grasp and stormed out of the room, followed by Potter, Black and McGonagall.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "As I was saying," trying to sound nonchalant as Hermione seethed in the chair across from him.

"I have reason to believe that a possible Horcrux might be residing in a small town not far from where the orphanage is in which Riddle grew up."

Harry nodded his head. "Do you know which one it is?" he asked.

"I do not," he said slowly.

"Then when do we leave?" Harry asked eagerly.

"There are a few more details I need to see to, but if I might hazard a guess, I would say by this Friday coming at the latest."

"Do we know what type of enchantment might be attached to it, sir?" She added politely if not reluctantly.

"No, I�m afraid not. That is my concern as well, which is why I think it would be wise to wait to garner all we can before retrieving it."

Hermione and Harry nodded, both not the least bit eager to get themselves killed or having Dumbledore end up getting killed twenty years before he�s supposed to.

"That is all for tonight, and thank you again for confiding in me." Spoke Dumbledore quietly.

Harry and Hermione stood before saying goodbye and heading down the marble staircase. She was just about to make a left toward the dungeon when Harry caught her arm.

"Do you think it was wise to tell him so much?" he asked trying to keep his voice from being accusatory.

"I do, had you been around earlier I could have explained my reasoning behind it." She said coolly.

"I�m sorry Hermione, for letting you shoulder all this responsibility. I think I�ve let myself get carried away, and forgot the real reason behind our stay here."

Hermione sighed, "I don�t blame you, Harry. I�m happy for you. You deserve your time here."

He smiled. "So, what�s this theory then?"

Hermione began explaining to Harry how the reason Dumbledore could tell him about Horcruxes in the future was because he had been told by her in the past.

"It�s like your Patronus spell, the one that saved you and Sirius, you knew you could do it because you already had."

"I understand." Said Harry. "Though that was a bit of a risk to take." He was smiling good-naturedly.

"Some risks are worth taking." She shrugged.

"So how is everything?" asked Harry as he walked her toward the dungeons.

"Fine, it�s a lot like before, only you know differently." She finished lamely.

"I know what you mean. I miss him too," he said quietly.

Hermione nodded quickly trying to keep her tears from falling.

"How are things for you? I have to admit I was surprised at your reaction toward Snape," she said looking up at him.

He stopped squaring his jaw. "It�s been difficult," he said carefully, "but in the end I�ve just separated them into two completely different people. I can�t blame him for something he hasn�t done yet" he paused then said, "He seems to have a very rough time here."

Hermione snorted, "That�s putting it mildly. They�re really foul to him all the time, and what�s worse its not just James and Sirius almost everyone treats him as if he isn�t worth noticing, and I think his home life is worse, if that�s even possible."

Harry looked uncomfortable. "Doesn�t he have anyone here that he talks to?"

"None that I�ve seen, he�s mostly always alone. Except myself, the only other person I�ve ever noticed talking to him is Lily and even she seems short with him, granted she�s more polite about it."

Harry looked at her quickly, before speaking again. "She tried to stick up for him once. He didn�t exactly take it well."

"How do you know that?"

"Dumbledore�s Pensieve." Harry said not quite meeting her eyes. "Still though, I know how it feels to be treated unfairly, to be bullied and I don�t envy what he must go through. "

"I know you do, Harry, which makes what happens to him all the worse."

She gave him a fleeting look before slipping into the empty Common Room. Empty, except a very irate Severus Snape staring hard at her.

"Severus," she asked gently. She could see how angry he was, it seemed speech was beyond him, as if one word would burst the dam of his restraint and he would not be able to control his fury.

"You have absolutely no right to�" He started before stopping.

"You come here acting�" he balled his fist. "You know NOTHING of me. How dare you meddle in my affairs? I never asked for your help, nor do I want it. I�m not some charity, some poor helpless sort who needs a twit of girl sticking up for them. What you did in the Headmaster�s office was inexcusable. Do you know what you�ve even done? Do you have any idea how much that outburst is going to cost me?" His voice had started fairly loud but toward the end, it faded off into a deadly whisper. He walked over to a desk with spare quills and ink bottles and flung his hand across the surface sending the clutter sprawling across the floor.

She could tell he had been trying incredibly hard to keep from upending the rest of the room.

"I�m sorry," she said quietly. "You�re right. I never gave any thought to how it might affect you."

He looked up at her, clearly not expecting this reaction and it seemed to deflate the fight in him a bit.

"It was unfair of me to get involved. Please though, don�t think I pity you, and I don�t think you�re some sort of charity looking for my protection. I just can�t stand what they do to you. You don�t deserve it." She finished, walking closer to him.

"You�re a good person," He was watching her very closely. She was only just outside of his reach and she kept inching closer with every word. "Who�s very smart and brave, and who has more talent than any of the rest, combined. You have every right to be upset with me, I don�t blame you in the least, but please know that I didn�t mean to insult you." She was standing very close now, though enough room separated them for him to move away if he wished.

He swallowed, no one in all of his memory had ever voluntarily stood this close to him.

"Apology," he whispered sidestepping her and putting three paces in between them. "Accepted."

She watched him move away. "I don�t mean to pry but,"

Severus snorted, "But you�re going to anyway?"

Hermione gave him a small smile. "It�s just that you seemed very upset when Dumbledore mentioned writing to your parents." She said, at the same time watching him start to clam up again, deciding to plough on ahead anyway. "I mean they can�t be too angry, if you explain to them that it isn�t you instigating the fights."

Severus raised his eyebrow, "My father is a very strict man. He will be most displeased with any news of my behaviour at school."

"And what of your mother, might she understand?" holding her breath and wondering if she had pushed him too far this time.

"She might have," he couldn�t meet her gaze. "If she were still around."

She had stepped close to him again, placing a small hand lightly on his arm,

"I�m sorry. It was impolite of me to ask." He looked up at her now and she had her bottom lip worrying in between her teeth.

"It�s nothing, hardly worth mentioning." He tried to concentrate on something else besides her mouth.

"It�s all right to let it bother you. I would be if it was happening to me."

The smell of her was fascinating. The closeness combined with the warmth of her hand on his arm was making his head slightly dizzy.

"She," he let his eyes flicker to hers, "she left over the summer."

Hermione didn�t dare speak, he was confiding in her and could tell what a tremendous amount of nerve it was taking him to even stay in the room with her.

"I knew she was unhappy. As I said, my father is very strict." Her face was so smooth almost, Severus thought, like still water. He could feel the words leaving his mouth even though he had no intention of ever telling her or anyone this only just moments ago.

He looked at her again, "I can�t blame her, for wanting to go," Her hand was moving in small strokes near his wrist, fuelling his insane urge to keep talking. "But I had thought she would have at least taken me with her."

Severus felt like a stone had fallen into his gut. It was much harder saying these things that had manifested themselves in his mind since the second week of the summer holidays. It was inexcusable, what his mother had done, abandoning him to a father who had never wanted him. The injustice of it all along with the overwhelming warmth he could feel from having another human voluntarily touching him, he would later recognize is what had caused his lack of judgement. When he placed the pad of his thumb against her lower lip, smoothing out the indentations her teeth had caused. He heard her gasp, and it was this more than anything, that brought him back to his senses. He moved his hand away quickly took one last look at her and fled to his room, leaving a thoroughly bewildered Hermione behind.
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This Is The Way The World Ends.