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Matters of the Heart	By : strawberryf1re Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 34556 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe (characters, settings, etc.) ŠJ.K. Rowling. No profits are made from this work.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Rating: M – inappropriate for readers under the age of 16; contains scenes of explicit sexuality and violence.

Disclaimer: Characters and settings ©J.K. Rowling

Matters of the Heart

K. Marie

Chapter 17

As planned, Severus did indeed visit a potion parlor to purchase the ingredients that had been taken from his stores. Hermione decided to stay behind, as to avoid any inconvenient encounters with acquaintances that would recognize them both. Severus thought her consideration was rather clever, as even he did not think of such a possibility, though it was very real – especially at Diagon Alley!

Severus ventured to Diagon Alley, visiting the apothecary there. As he entered the shop, a small bell jingled above his head, and he nodded curtly to the cashier who greeted him with a wave. The Potions Master perused the shelves, searching for the ingredients he needed, and as he found them, he plucked them off the shelf and tucked them into his pocket.

"Ah, Severus," the clerk greeted as he approached the sales counter. "What can I do for you?"

Severus placed the jars atop the counter. "I also need an Ashwinder egg," he said softly, the irritation apparent in his voice.

The clerk nodded. "Ah, yes, just a moment." He disappeared into a back room, to emerge moments later with a frosty container, his hands protected by gloves.

"Here you are, Severus," he said, setting the heavy container down. As he calculated the cost, Severus dropped some coins into his hand. "Good day!"

From there, Severus quickly Disapparated to his home. He placed the package on the kitchen table, his voice a low grumble as he spoke. "When I find out who was the perpetrator behind this, I will have them expelled."

Hermione had been seated in the sitting room, tucked into her ancient runes textbook, when he arrived with a loud crack!. Startled, she dropped her book, but upon hearing her lover's oily voice, she rose from the chair to greet him in the kitchen.

She leaned up to kiss him. "So you really don't believe it was – what was her name, Katrina?" Hermione asked.

Severus shook his head. "I don't. I believe she was accused as a distraction."

Hermione frowned, dissatisfied with the fact that they, once again, had no leads on who was stealing from Severus' stores. "Do you think this is the same person as before?"

"Indeed, I do," Severus replied. She returned to her reading as Severus packaged the vials together and carried them downstairs to be transported with the rest of his supplies.

By the end of their holiday, Hermione and Severus had spent most of their time confined to his rooms. Hermione did not ache to leave the house, which surprised her; she very much enjoyed remaining in the warmth of Severus' home, either entangled in the sheets with her lover or perched upon his lap with a book. She hadn't ever had a quiet holiday before, and while she thought perhaps it would be nice to have some excitement every now and then for Christmas, she preferred the quiet life that Severus seemed to lead.

They chose to stand by their original alibi and so they would travel by Floo to the school. Hermione stood before the fireplace, Severus' hands on her hips. He kissed her neck delicately as she spoke her destination ("Private Quarters of Professor Severus Snape, Hogwarts") and disappeared with a burst of green fire. She appeared seconds later in Severus' library, and Severus emerged moments after with Hermione's things.

Hermione and Severus exchanged a passionate kiss before she abandoned him for the Great Hall. As Head Girl, her responsibilities included rounding up the younger students (who would, no doubt, be exhilarated to be back at school and therefore acting out, as children often do) and, with the Prefects, leading them back to their common rooms following the New Year's feast.

As Hermione shouldered her bag, she cast one last loving look at Severus, before heading through the door to his office. As he heard the distant slam of the classroom door, he swept to his bed. Sitting down, he smoothed his hand across the blankets. The joy he had felt during the break was slowly dissolving as he sat alone in his rooms, and he leaned back against the pillows at the head of his bed.

He too, would have to head to the Great Hall for the return feast, but it would not begin for quite some time. And so he remained resting on his bed, his hands behind his head, his mind whirling with the events of the holiday break.

Hermione first entered her private rooms. Her cat, Crookshanks, was nowhere in sight, and she assumed it was because he was still scouring the halls, hunting for pests to consume. She never worried for him while she was on break; he was a resourceful cat, as all felines were, and would do fine on his own.

After dropping off her bag, she hurried down to the Great Hall. There were few students here, as the train had not yet arrived. The students in the hall, while they did not comprise all of those who remained for break, were the few who had not gone home to their families. Professors Trelawney, Babbling, and Binns were already seated at the High Table, overseeing the students and conversing amongst themselves.

Hermione surveyed the Great Hall, examining each student that was present. She spotted a lone first year at Gryffindor table, and took a seat down next to him. He had looked forlorn as he sat there, his friends having left on the holiday, and Hermione sought to relieve him of his lonesome for a moment before visiting with the other students.

When she sat down next to him, he looked absolutely delighted to have someone to talk to.

"Happy New Year, Ken," Hermione said cheerfully.

The young blond boy returned her greeting, and began to explode with all of the details of what had happened at the castle while he was there for break (which, Hermione hated to admit, was nothing compared to what she had experienced during her time at school during the holidays). She answered enthusiastically, giving the boy a hug before moving to a different table to talk to another student.

As she was making her rounds, various professors entered the Great Hall. They greeted each of the students who were present before making their way to the High Table. As she was passing between the tables, she collided with another body, the impact nearly knocking her off her feet. She caught her balance and turned to face the perpetrator.

"Perhaps you should pay more attention to where you are going, Miss Granger," crooned his oily voice. "Lest your incessant babbling conflict with your ability to walk and you land in the hospital wing."

As he spoke, she recognized the glitter in his eyes that he only possessed for her; she suspected their collision was at least partially intentional, and she tried to conceal her smile. She apologized for bumping into him, and he swept past her, taking a seat at the High Table beside the tallest-backed chair, where Dumbledore usually sat. It was not much longer before the remaining professors took their seats and waited patiently for the arrival of the students.

Suddenly there was a stampede of footsteps entering the hall, and students poured in. There was quite a commotion as the students filed past each other, bumping and pushing, to get to their house tables. The hall was a cacophony of voices, footsteps, and screeching chairs, and it seemed it only grew louder as more and more students filed in.

Hermione weaved between students to get to Gryffindor table. She was delighted to see Harry and Ron, already seated, with an open spot next to the red-headed Weasley for Hermione. She plopped down indelicately.

"'Oi, 'Mione!" Ron greeted.

Harry, too, was all smiles as his friend sat down at the table. She greeted them both in kind, wishing them a belated happy Christmas, and thanking them for their gifts. The boys thanked her as well for the gifts they received.

"How was your break?" she asked them, her fingers twisting the sapphire ring below the cover of the table.

"Oh, you know," Ron replied.

"It's like pulling teeth, you know," Hermione scowled. She looked to Harry, who shrugged.

"It was pretty uneventful, Hermione. Honest!" he exclaimed, a sneaky smile crawling across his mouth.

They began chattering about anything and everything excitedly. It took several more minutes before all of the students and teachers filed into the hall, and once everyone had taken a seat, Dumbledore rose.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts!" he exclaimed, and there was a cacophony of cheers from the students. With a wave of his hand, delicious food appeared on the tables. "I hope you all had a wonderful, delightful break, and that you all are refreshed and ready to return to the routine of wizarding education!"

The students, to this, had groaned. Dumbledore did not hesitate to invite them to begin their meals, and the hall exploded into a thousand different conversations as everyone tucked into their dinner.

Following breakfast the following Monday morning, Severus decided he would pull aside the student who had been (as Severus believed, falsely) accused of pilfering his stores. She had a class with him that morning, and rather than do as Dumbledore had decided, Severus planned on confronting the problem. If she had, indeed, actually stolen the ingredients, he would be able to tell – and if she had not, he could instead focus his attention on identifying the true perpetrator.

Standing at the head of his classroom, he watched his nervous fourth year students enter the dungeon. Miss Filthrum was accompanied by her friends, and they were chatting happily, though about what, Severus neither knew nor cared.

"Miss Filthrum," Snape growled. The girl, who had been busy opening her textbook and pulling her quill from her bag, looked up suddenly. "I would like to see you in my office at the end of class."

He knew that her reaction to his request would be the first tell-tale sign if she was guilty. If she had indeed stolen from him, his request would cause in her anxiety, and he knew her well enough to know that she was not one to conceal her anxieties well. When she looked at him curiously, rather than nervously, he knew then that she was unlikely the thief.

"O-okay, Professor Snape," she replied to him.

As Snape began the lesson, he kept his eye on her. Her friends had looked at her, as though just as confused as to why the Potions Master wanted her in his office. She shrugged at them, mouthing an 'I have no idea,' and turning to her desk to follow his lecture.

As the class ended, Severus turned on his heel and swept into his office. Sitting behind his desk, he waited for his student to enter. Her behaviors were highly predictable; she was a quiet, timid student who performed decently in his class (though she was far from exceptional) and, for the most part, would go unnoticed. She preferred it that way. Sometimes he wondered why she had been sorted into Slytherin, as opposed to Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, but he knew that the Sorting Hat saw things in its wearers that were not apparent to others.

It took a moment before Filthrum knocked on his office door, and as she entered, she nervously poked her head into the room. She was a rather plain student, really; not unlike Hermione, she concerned herself more with academia than her appearance. She was no comparison to Hermione's brilliance though, and Severus knew it would be a long time before another student such as his apprentice would ever grace the halls of Hogwarts.

"Take a seat," Severus said, his black eyes piercing her.

She slowly sat down across from him, and Snape did not overlook her white-knuckle grasp on her bag. She was reasonably nervous, as students always abhorred coming to Snape's office. He did not expect her to be calm and collected while there, but she was not displaying the guilty anxiety he would expect if she had actually stolen from him.

Severus considered her carefully, and she shifted under his gaze. He could tell she was considering asking why she was called to his office, and once or twice she opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it and said nothing.

"I have reason to suspect that you are the student who broke into my stores," Severus began icily.

Her expression morphed from nervousness to shock. "What?"

Snape had suspected that she was definitely not the thief, and as he watched her mind whirl, he came to know that as fact. Her voice was shaky, but calm.

"No, Professor Snape… I didn't steal from you," she stammered. "I… I can't prove it, but I didn't do it."

He folded his hands across his desk, staring at her levelly. She held his gaze, though a thin sheet of sweat was forming across her brow. Her hands were trembling as she gripped her bag tighter.

"And, pray tell, Miss Filthrum – why should I believe you?"

She glanced around the room, her eyes lingering on the peculiar specimen within the jars around her. She shook her head. "You… you have no reason to, Professor. But… I didn't do it. I have no reason to have done it!"

"Is that your argument? You 'have no reason'?" His voice was scathing.

"I don't even know how to brew that potion," she said, trying to steady her voice. "It's way beyond my level."

His steady, piercing gaze told her he did not believe her. Her eyes scanned the room as though she was visually searching for a better argument. Her anxiety was increasing as she realized unless she could prove it to the Potions Master, she was likely to be expelled.

"I didn't do it," she gasped. "I don't know how to prove it to you, but I didn't do it! Professor Snape, you know I wouldn't do that! Why would I risk expulsion for no reason? I don't have a boyfriend! What use do I have for those ingredients?"

"Have you any idea who may have?" he growled, leaning back in his chair.

As she realized his suspicion was beginning to wane, she visibly relaxed. Breathing a sigh, she shook her head. "N-no… but… I can ask my friends. They may know something."

Severus shook his head. "No, Miss Filthrum. That will be unnecessary." He hadn't the slightest doubt that this girl was indeed innocent. Standing from his desk, he dismissed her. She clutched her bag and rushed from the room.

As promised, that afternoon Severus assigned Hermione one of four difficult, long draughts she would be crafting for her final examination in her apprenticeship. The recipe, the Draught of Life (not to be confused with the Elixir of Life, a much more sinister creation, in Hermione's opinion), would require five months of preparation. It was a healing potion; if a person was fatally wounded, they could consume the draught and it would place their body in a resting state, preserving it until medical attention was given.

Hermione opened Severus's Moste Potente Potions and began to read the chapter about the draught. In an hour, she had finished, and she turned to Severus, who had been sitting at his desk, quietly observing her. Because her apprenticeship was now nearly half-over, the Potions Master had ceased setting out her supplies for her. He waved his hand, and the wards to his stores lowered.

Hermione retrieved the appropriate ingredients, pulling out a cauldron and setting to work. As she pulled on her apron, she ignited the flame beneath the cauldron, allowing it to heat up before she began working. She was absorbed in her work until well past midnight; Severus let her be for the most part, only hovering on a few occasions when he knew she was coming to a rather difficult task. She rarely needed his help that evening however, and by eleven o'clock he was seated by her table, observing her as she worked.

At one point in the night, she removed her gloves to rub her tired eyes. Severus leaned towards her, his voice soft as he spoke: "My dear, if you so desire you may rest. You have done just about all you can tonight."

"Yes, I know," she stifled a yawn. "Let me just…" Another yawn. "…clean up."

Severus stood from his chair to assist with her tidying up. He collected several vials and replaced them in the storage closet, as Hermione took to preserving her potion. It would need to set for forty-eight hours before she could do anymore to it, and so she moved the cauldron to a dusty corner, covered it, and closed the laboratory door.

Severus was leaning against the doorjamb of his office, casually. As she was closing the laboratory door, it grew colder as the wards activated, and she turned to face him. She covered a yawn, and it triggered a sympathetic yawn from the Potions Master. Without speaking, Severus turned from the doorway into his office, and Hermione followed suit.

Slowly closing the door to his rooms, Severus turned towards Hermione. His finger played delicately at the waist of her jeans, pulling open the clasp. They fell to her ankles in a whisper. She stepped out of them, raising her arms above her head as Severus removed her shirt. Standing in her undergarments, she shivered in the cool room. Severus pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply, and she fumbled with his own robes.

They fell off his shoulders effortlessly, and he led her to his bed. They collapsed there, devouring each other in passion. She straddled his hips with her thighs, grinding her hot core against his throbbing member. His lips were at her breast, suckling gently, as her wet folds rubbed luxuriously against his shaft. He pushed his member at his entrance, and she lowered her body onto him. He gasped as her tightness surrounded him, throbbing gently against his hardened manhood. She rode him slowly, his eyes following the succulent bounce of her breasts.

Hermione woke as the sun was rising. She wished with all her being she could remain in Severus' bed, but she knew she had to retreat to her own rooms to shower and ready herself for her classes that day. She rolled over to face her lover, kissing his hooked nose sweetly. His dark eyes flickered open at the touch.

"Leaving?" his voice was gruff with sleep.

She had stood from the bed, gathering her clothing he had haphazardly discarded during the fray. She turned to him.

"Yes," she said simply. She pulled her fingers through her disheveled hair, tying it back into a messy ponytail. "I'll see you at breakfast?"

Severus had rolled over to his side, away from her. He answered with a grunt, and she smiled. She leaned over the bed and kissed his ear gently, pulling her fingers through his black hair. Suddenly, Hermione felt rather mischievous; she crawled into bed once more with him, snaking her hand around his hip to his groin. She was surprised to discover that he was already hard, and with a smile, she wrapped her fingers around him. She was determined to make love to Severus one last time before the day began.

She didn't see the corner of his mouth tug into a small smile; his lack of response did not discourage her any. In fact, he wagered, it may have actually encouraged her more, as she began stroking him faster and tighter, eliciting a pleasured groan from the man.

Finally, he turned over to face her. He slowly moved his fingers to her wetness, stroking her there gently. He climbed over her, his body forcing her thighs to part. He buried his face into her neck, kissing and suckling the skin gently, the tender flesh turning red under his touch.

"And you accuse me of being insatiable," he growled into the curve of her neck.

Hermione gasped as he pushed his way into her, filling her. He thrust within her rhythmically, slowly at first. She pushed her hips into him, pulling him as far into her as he could go, releasing a loud cry of pleasure. Her hands were clawing at his back, leaving pink trails down the pale skin.

Hungrily, he suckled her breasts as he thrust into her, eliciting a soft moan from his lover. He increased his speed, pumping faster and faster until she cried out in climactic release. The spasm of her core around his member caused him to orgasm as well, and he spilled his seed within her.

Severus' thrusting slowed. He pressed his forehead against hers, looking into the amber depths of her eyes. She couldn't help but smile at him. Slowly, she snaked her arms around his waist, pulling his body to hers. He turned to his side, coiling his arms around her, and they lay there in his bed, tangled together.

After a few moments of silence, Hermione looked up at him. "Severus, I've been thinking."

It seemed as though he was drifting off the brink of wakefulness, as his response was slow and quiet, and hardly a word. "Hm?"

"I'm eighteen," she began slowly. "My birthday was before… well, you know." There was an uncomfortable pause, and Severus lifted onto his elbow to look at her. "By all laws, I am the age of consent."

He narrowed her eyes as he listened to her. She continued: "I don't think we should mention the… rape," she said quietly. "But… what if we confessed to Professor Dumbledore our relationship? What if he believed it to have progressed naturally from spending a great deal of time together?"

Severus chuckled at her naïveté. Certainly, in theory, it seemed the rational thing to do. If her logic was infallible, they could knock on Albus' office door that evening and confess to him everything: that they had grown closer throughout the apprenticeship, and their relationship developed into a sexual one. They need not make any mention of the roots of their sexuality; that their sexual relationship evolved from a vicious rape of the student. If her rationale were realistic, there would be no threat to Severus' position within the safety of Hogwarts.

It was true that Albus highly respected Hermione's capabilities as a young woman. She was more than mature enough to make such a severe decision as to engage in sexual intercourse with her professor. It was true that she would be able to handle the repercussions of her actions, and do so with grace; she was mature enough, that if they indeed decided the relationship should end, she could continue with her apprenticeship without a second thought and finish the school year.

He followed her logic with ease. What she was saying made absolute sense.

What she wasn't considering was that Albus Dumbledore was an incredibly powerful Legilimens. Confessing to him their relationship would give him grounds to determine if she was lying, and in that moment the truth would be revealed.

"Hermione," Severus began quietly. "Have you forgotten that Professor Dumbledore is a Legilimens, and a very powerful one at that?"

Hermione understood immediately what Severus was suggesting, and she frowned. "Oh, I guess I hadn't considered that… would he—"

"Professor Dumbledore and I are the only two Legilimens in the school," Severus explained. "When one of the other professors has suspicion that a student is being deceitful, it is suggested that either Albus or I interrogate the student, and determine whether or not they are honest. It needs to be approved by Dumbledore because performing Legilimency on a student is a severe violation of privacy." Severus paused, reclining onto the mattress. "I believe that if we were to inform him of our relationship, he would not hesitate to use Legilimency to confirm that what we are saying is true."

"Why wouldn't he simply believe us?" Hermione asked.

"It may not be that he blatantly distrusts us, my dear," Severus crooned, his dark eyes scanning the ceiling. "But that he must ensure that I have not swayed you to neglect reporting what I have done to you."

Severus understood completely the reasons why Albus would question their story. After all, Professor Snape had, on several occasions, insisted that the three of them be expelled from the school, had accused them of breaking school rules (even when they had not), and had openly displayed his dislike for Hermione Granger in the past (for being a know-it-all, eager to argue with Severus during class if she thought he was wrong). He had openly confessed that she had irked him so, and that if she weren't the only valuable mind he had in his classes he would gladly turn her away completely.

So to suddenly reveal to the Headmaster that his Potions Master was engaging in sex with Hermione Granger may raise some questions in the old wizard's mind, questions only suitably answered by performing Legilimency.

Hermione had a wrinkle pressed into her normally smooth forehead as she thought. She looked frustrated: she clearly disliked the fact that Severus was forced to lie to his friend, and she was looking for a way to relieve that stress on her lover. But to no avail.

"I don't believe he would feel as though he needed to remove me from the premises, if our relationship had developed naturally," Severus said softly. "But if we risk him performing Legilimency on you, then the very thing you wanted to avoid in the first place becomes a stark reality. And the struggles you endured would have been for nothing."

Hermione nodded sadly. "I understand."

"However," Severus started, his voice soft. "I had been considering training you in Occlumency, for this very reason."

Hermione's expression changed at this suggestion, and she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!"

"I warn you, Hermione – Occlumency training requires that I perform Legilimency on you, which exposes you to me mercilessly. I will have access to all of your memories," he cautioned.

"I understand, Harry explained to me what it had been like for him," she replied.

"I pray that your admirable skill within the classroom can be applied to these lessons as well," Severus growled, his voice suddenly low. It seemed he was recalling the lessons he gave Harry, and he did not seem pleased at all. "Your friend did not learn the skill as quickly as would have been preferred."

Hermione smiled, nodding. "Yes, I know. He… didn't really try to learn, I don't think… he had a lot going on that year."

They were quiet for a moment; Severus was considering something, Hermione could tell, though what, she did not know. She looked at him, the proverbial wheels turning in his mind, and when he spoke, she listened intently.

"We will work Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, until you have mastered the skill," Severus said. "Following your classes. If you are in need of working on your apprenticeship project, we will postpone the Occlumency lesson. Your apprenticeship projects take priority, of course. Otherwise, I expect you to be in my classroom at four o'clock."

Hermione nodded. "Starting today?"

"Indeed," Severus replied, sitting up in the bed. "You should go."

Standing from the bed, Hermione dressed quickly and kissed Severus. He took her by the hips, pulling her into the bed with him once more. She laughed, pulling out of his embrace, her voice shrill.

"Severus! I have to go!" she exclaimed.

His lips were curled slyly as she abandoned the room. As he heard the distant slam of his classroom door, he rose from his bed and approached his lavatory.

Hermione hated to admit that she was rather disappointed classes had to resume following break. Even though she had already attended classes, the feeling did not subside. She was eager to learn, and yet she felt more excited to remain by Severus' side throughout the days (and shamelessly, at times, wished to remain in his bed even more frequently). If the only thing she did for the rest of her life was potioneering, she thought she could deal with that, and quite happily.

Her path to the Arithmancy classroom was fairly vacant, as Arithmancy was a fairly unpopular course at the N.E.W.T. level. The class had been challenging enough at the O.W.L. level (especially for an elective), and when Hermione passed her Arithmancy O.W.L. exam with an "Outstanding," she was one of the few students who would be able to progress to the N.E.W.T. level course.

It seemed, as much as she abhorred the man, Draco Malfoy, too, was a very talented student. He was one of the few classmates in her Arithmancy class, and while she made a habit of keeping her distance from the Slytherin, she could not help but admire his intelligence. His intellect did not distract her from the true nature of his character, however, and whenever she caught sight of him, she grew nauseous.

As she took her seat in the Arithmancy classroom, she watched as few other students filed in with their bags over their shoulders. Malfoy was the last to stride in, his pointed face donning the typically-Malfoy smug look. His cold, grey eyes passed over her as if she weren't even there. Considering how much attention he had been paying her over the semester, his behavior seemed a bit odd to her.

Professor Vector hurried into the classroom, greeting her students before beginning the day's lesson. Hermione began scrawling notes hurriedly onto a piece of parchment as the lecture progressed.

An hour later, she dismissed the students, and Hermione packed her things into her backpack and rose. She was surprised when she was pushed out of the way, and as she stumbled over her desk, she turned to see who had run into her. No surprise to her, Malfoy had intentionally knocked her into the desk, and was sniggering quietly as he left the classroom.

She had just about enough of his antics this semester, and seethed quietly as she followed the last student out of the classroom. With lunch rapidly approaching, she was looking forward to seeing her friends, and talking with them about their first two days back to classes.

Following Arithmancy, Hermione had History of Magic, which, while fascinating, was very hard to maintain attention through on that Tuesday morning. She was elated when Professor Binns finally allowed the students to depart, and Hermione hurried to the Great Hall to eat lunch with her friends.

The two boys were already seated at the table, and from where Hermione was standing, it appeared they were having quite the heated debate over something (which she assumed to be Quidditch). As she took her seat next to Harry, the two boys did not break from their discussion. When finally it seemed Ron was too frustrated to argue further, he tucked into his lunch, and Harry turned to Hermione.

"Hey, Hermione," the young wizard said. "I think this is the first I've seen you since yesterday!"

"Yes," she agreed. "I was working very late last night, Professor Snape has just begun assigning my final projects and they take quite a lot of time to brew!"

"Wow, already?" Ron interjected. "It's January!"

"As I said, they take a very long time to complete. He's just started me on the Draught of Life" – to this, her friends gawked, but she corrected their thinking – "not the elixir, it has nothing to do with the Sorcerer's Stone. It's a healing potion, but it requires about five months to brew."

Ron shook his head. "I don't get how you could possibly enjoy working with that git," he grumbled, his mouth full of food. "We never see you anymore!"

Hermione grimaced as the threat of flying food particles became a reality as Ron spoke. She leaned away from the table. "I know, but he really isn't that bad," she said, frowning. Peering up at the High Table, she caught the eye of the sallow-skinned Potions Master.

Her friends followed her gaze, and when they met the fathomless gaze of the Potions Master, they broke eye contact quickly. Hermione turned from him as well, allowing the professor to return to his meal.

"I still think you're bloody mad, 'Mione," Ron said. "We don't have half the work you do."

"I expected it, Ron. I sought for it, truly," she replied.

They were quiet for a moment as they chewed their food. She could tell Ron was mulling something over, and after he finished his troll-sized bite, he gestured as though to say something. Hermione looked at him expectantly, but he seemed to reconsider his actions, and instead focused carefully on his meal.
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Matters of the Heart