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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
- 18
- 19
- 20
Chapter 18. Here Is To The Man With His Face In The Mud.

The rain had not let up its torrential hammering of Hogwart�s grounds for the first Quidditch match of the season on Saturday. Leaving all the students clumped tightly together under huge umbrellas, pulling up their robes as they sloshed through small pools of water on their way to the pitch.

Hermione and Severus were hunched together under a large green and silver umbrella that he was holding. They had just neared the Slytherin viewing tower when Harry had stepped angrily in front of them, the bottom of his robes filthy with mud and rainwater.

"You�re sitting with him?" he asked his voice muffled over the driving rain, but no less disgusted.

"Where would you like me to sit? I am a Slytherin, Harry," she said stepping closer to him so that his umbrella touched theirs.

He looked outraged, his head snapping between Severus and Hermione. Harry shook his head angrily and stalked off towards the Gryffindor box catching up quickly with Sirius, Peter and Remus. He let down his umbrella as the awning covered them from the majority of the drenching rain.

Harry could feel his anger thumping rapidly through his veins. After, what they had been through; after the other night, he had really believed she would heed his advice. For all her blathering on about how mistreated he was, she really was forgetting what he was; a death eater who had killed, Dumbledore, and killed his mother, father and Sirius as well. He might have only turned his wand against Dumbledore, but it did not matter, to Harry. Severus Snape was a murderer, from birth.

A whistle blew under them, though it was hard to see the blurry figure standing down on the field. He could just make out the referee�s face as she stood between the two captains below.

Harry watched as the Bludgers were released and the teams had taken to the sky. He could see James, flying loops around the pitch carrying the Quaffle to the Slytherins� keeper at the opposite end of the pitch. He hurtled the ball, and Harry watched as it soared through the air straight into the middle ring, scoring ten points to Gryffindor.

His cheers tore from his throat, his frustration momentarily forgotten.

Harry had always loved Quidditch. He felt it was one of the few things he had that let him connect with his father, but now as he stood watching his dad play for the first time, he felt overwhelmed with happiness.

His happiness was fleeting as Sirius elbowed him in the ribs after Slytherin had recovered the ball scoring twenty points.

"Look at your sister, Granger," said Black, his eyes narrowing as he pointed across the pitch to the Slytherin side of the field.

Harry squinted hard through the rain, but could not see Hermione or Snape.

"Where?" he asked Sirius.

"Right there in the middle, three up from the bottom."

Harry quickly counted the rows, and almost toppled over in his seat.

There was Snape and Hermione sitting so close together that he could barely tell them apart.

"Looks like she didn�t take our advice." said Black, slapping him apologetically on the back.

"She looks like she�s getting quite friendly." spoke Peter, his voice high and grating.

"It doesn�t look as if they�re sitting that close together, maybe they�re just talking," Remus said his voice shy and small behind Harry�s shoulder.

Sirius let out a loud laugh, "Is that what they�re calling it these days, Moony?"

Harry could not believe his eyes, there had to be some explanation for them sitting so intimately with each other. He wiped the water from his glasses hoping that the shimmer the rain made was making it only look like they were�he shook his head scrambling for any evidence that would make what he was seeing untrue. Maybe Remus was right, there was a whole Quidditch pitch between them, he gulped, hardly bringing himself to think it; surely, Hermione was not kissing Snape.

A huge cry had gone through the stadium as Slytherin had scored another ten points.

"You not going to let him get away with this are you?" asked Sirius, ignoring the game.

Remus seemed to fade back from the two, putting his full attention on the players zooming past him.

Harry felt like he would be sick, he could not stop staring, as they sat huddled together. He could see Snape�s hair fall into Hermione�s face as he leaned in closer. A wave of nausea welled up inside him.

"Harry, you remember what we�ve all told you about him. The things he does. Merlin, even half the things he knows of the dark arts should tell you what kind of person he is." said Sirius looking quickly to where Snape and Hermione sat. "You can�t let your sister get tied up in that."

"Who knows what kind of things he�d try to do to her, he�s a very powerful wizard," said Wormtail, his beady eyes lit with excitement.

Harry opened his mouth trying to gulp in enough air to keep himself from retching. Over and over in his mind, he kept pleading with Hermione to move, stand up, do something other than� Harry put his head between his knees, wrenching his eyes from the terrible scene across from him.

The stadium broke into a thunderous cheer as the Slytherin seeker soared up in the air holding the Snitch high above his head.

"Come on," said Harry standing up suddenly, already heading for the stairs.

Sirius leapt from his seat hurrying after Harry. Peter was only a half a step behind Black. Remus stood slowly letting a few other students go ahead of him before he too followed after them.

Severus and Hermione walked carefully down the steps, they were slick with rain and mud and Hermione had to grab the rail twice to keep from falling.

The rain had let up a little, but a light drizzle fell in its place. When they had reached the bottom, she could see huge puddles of dirty mud covering the ground.

"That was a relatively short game," said Hermione conversationally as they started there trek back to the castle passing the Gryffindor stands on their way.

"You shouldn�t look so surprised. We have a very good team," he said, raising an eyebrow at her as he tried to gracefully step over a massive puddle.

"I�m not surprised. It�s great that we�ve won. I just thought it might have lasted a little longer after all this talk of team rivalry," she said moving a little further to the left to sidestep another hole.

"We will, no doubt, have a celebrati..." his words were cut off as a fist connected with his chin.

"Severus!" Hermione shouted as he landed face first into the mud.

Harry stood over Snape, his whole body tense with fury, Sirius and Peter standing next to him, anticipation glowing in their faces.

Hermione ran to them putting herself in between Severus and Harry.

"What are you doing?" she bellowed her voice high and shrill.

"How could you, Hermione?" he spat at her.

Her face twisted in confusion. "What are you on about?"

"I saw you, half the school could see you," he screamed as Severus stood himself up, though completely drenched in mud, his eyes murderous.

"Him of all people, Hermione, what are you thinking? You can snog any bloke in the whole school, and you choose that," he said, pointing to Severus his face grimy and his hair stringy.

Black let out a snicker before Hermione�s voice exploded.

"SNOG!" she snarled, "I haven�t snogged anyone, especially not in the middle of a Quidditch match."

Harry let out a snort, "Then I suppose you two were just, what, discussing potions homework with your tongues in each other�s mouths?"

"Shut your mouth, Granger, don�t you dare speak to her like that." said Severus, his voice low and deadly, muck dripping from the tip of his nose.

"Do not tell me what to do, you pathetic�" he said reaching for his wand.

"Harry that is enough, I don�t care what you think you saw. I wasn�t kissing Severus, not that it�s any of your business, what I do."

"I won�t stand for you befriending him, you and I both know what he is," he said.

Hermione�s eyes flashed. "Leave now," she said deadly as the rain started picking up around them.

Harry could see the smirk on Severus face as he stood next to Hermione. His rage welled up inside of him before he swung again at Snape.

His fist connected with bone, as he heard a sickening crunch, flinging Severus once more to the ground.

"What is going on here," asked the hard voice of Professor McGonagall.

"Fighting again, Mr. Snape, and you Mr. Granger�." she said, looking at the scene before her.

"No, Professor, this is not Severus� doing. Harry attacked him, and Severus has yet to raise a hand in retaliation."

McGonagall narrowed her eyes at Hermione.

"Be that as it may, Miss Granger, Mr. Snape is not allowed to be involved in a fight in any form what so ever."

Hermione tensed her jaw, looking at her once beloved teacher.

"I will not stand for his expulsion, even if I have to go to the Board of Governors, myself." she said, her voice firm but polite, as Severus held a handkerchief to his bleeding mouth and nose.

McGonagall seemed to sputter, before saying, "Miss Granger you will not speak to me in such a manner."

"Professor, you have my fullest respect, but this injustice is uncalled for. There are at least ten people who can attest to the fact that Severus has done nothing wrong."

"Hermione," said Severus quietly, uncomfortable with the scene she was making.

"No, Severus, I will ignore it no longer." she said, glancing at him quickly.

McGonagall studied Hermione, her eyes fierce and sharp.

"Mr. Granger, return to the castle immediately, I want you in my office to discuss your behaviour." she said, turning to an incensed and enraged Harry who glared at Hermione, before storming up to the school with Sirius and Peter following behind him.

"The rest of you return to the school," the professor said loudly to the students who had gathered to watch.

"Miss Granger please make sure that Severus reaches the infirmary," she said stiffly before stalking up the hill toward the school.

Hermione�s breathing slowed, as she willed her heart to stop its incessant beating. She looked at Severus, still covered in dirt, and blood as it dripped from the cloth clamped around his nose.

"He had no right," she said softly her voice full of embarrassment. "I�ve lost track of the number of times I�ve apologized, but I am sorry, for what he�s done." She gave him a small smile.

He watched her carefully, "What did he mean, you both know what I am?"

The colour drained from Hermione�s face.

"Severus, it doesn�t matter. He is wrong, he has always been wrong about you."

"What did he mean, Hermione?" he asked slowly and firmly taking the sodden rag away from his bloodied face.

Hermione closed her eyes, "Severus, you asked me not to lie, but this is something I cannot tell you, at all."

Severus set his face into a detached stare, "Excuse me, I must see Madame Pomfrey."

He strode quickly past her, stopping short when Hermione�s tiny hand gently curved around his arm.

"Severus," she said quietly, her eyes staring at a dirtied spot on his sleeve.

"You are brilliant and one of the most talented men I�ve ever met." She could sense the muscle underneath his robe tensing.

"You are fearless and courageous and I am honoured to know you." She could feel his pulse thumping through the thinness of his robe.

"What he said, is a lie. He�s the one who doesn�t know you, never took the time to try, instead he let his past dictate his future." She looked up at him, trying to gauge his reaction. His head was turned upwards staring at the castle high on the hill ahead of them.

She leaned in closer to him, "Please Severus, know that whatever he might say to you," she stopped talking to take a quick breath, "there is more to the story than what he might want you to believe. He wants to paint you as a terrible man, because he does not approve of our friendship." She looked up at him his face dirty yet still proud. "He�s still dealing with a great amount of grief and I believe he�s blaming you for it."

"Me or my future self?" he asked softly his head tilting down toward her.

"A little of both I�m afraid." she said sadly.

"He isn�t your brother is he?" he asked.

Hermione laughed, "No, he isn�t."

"That explains why he was so angry over our supposed kiss." he said, his mouth parting slightly.

"We were never like that, the whole situation is very complicated, but all Harry and I ever were or will be is friends." She snorted, "Well I don�t know how good of friends we might be now."

"I apologize if I have cost you your friendship," he said after a pause his voice low and rough.

Hermione looked to the castle then slowly back to Severus, "He�ll come around. More than anything, I think it�s Black stuffing these ideas into his head. He wants Harry to hate you, Severus, like it�s some sort of private club he wants Harry to join." Hermione moved her hand from his arm as she stood back, giving him some room now that she was sure, he would not run.

They began walking to the castle, Severus� nose had swollen and a bruise was appearing down the length of it.

"You look terrible," she said pointedly.

Severus looked irritably at her, "Yes, well I hadn�t planned on being thrown into the mud, Hermione."

A loud thunderclap sounded overhead; the rain hailing down wickedly, as the two ducked into an archway at front of the castle; their umbrella left forgotten, sunken in a puddle down on the pitch.

"At this rate you�ll never heal properly," she said staring at the water pouring down on the clearing that they would pass through, if they tried to run for the front doors.

Severus stuck his dirtied handkerchief out under the awning letting the water wash away the blood and dirt, before wiping his face clean. He placed his wand to his nose and muttered a healing spell that was lost in another loud roar of thunder.

"Oh but Severus, it won�t heal straight." she said, reaching a hand out to halt his wand, instead her fingertips brushed against his cheek.

Severus seemed to freeze, his hand halfway in front of him and his head bent low near her.

In the split second that she had before taking her hand from his face and mumbling, "You�ll have to have Pomfrey take a look at that cut," her mind had zoomed over the idea of kissing Severus Snape. She had felt a very fierce need well up inside her as her hand had touched his face, but she, always the sensible Hermione, knew better than to act on any such feelings, however strong.

She gave him a small smile, noticing how still and firm he stood.

"Should we chance it?" she asked, motioning to the pouring rain.

Severus seemed unable to speak, he nodded so slightly she could scarcely be sure he had moved his head at all. She gave him one last fleeting look before hiking up her cloak and sprinting toward the door.
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This Is The Way The World Ends.