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Clash of the Conjurers	By : llorolalluvia Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 3488 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters from it and I am not making any money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Clash of the Conjurers
- 2-Chapter 2
- 1
- 2
…*~*J*~*…
Hermione followed Ginny and Ron all the way to the top of the stairs where the boys were apparently gathered to watch Sirius feed Buckbeak. She noticed Harry’s double-take when Ginny entered the room and was amused to note the boy’s faint blush as he pretended to watch Sirius pull out the next dead ferret. Ron quickly joined the other boys while Ginny wrinkled her nose and swept back through the door. In hearty agreement, Hermione followed.
Ginny was sitting up in her bed staring into thin air when Hermione returned to their shared bedroom. The older girl hesitated before approaching her friend. “Ginny? Is something the matter?” Ginny snorted bitterly.
“Is there ever not something the matter?” she replied with a half-smile to lighten the heavy turn in conversation. Hermione smiled back, ignoring the comment.
“You can talk to me, you know,” she said softly. Ginny seemed to consider her thoughtfully. The two of them had never really been close. Ginny’s real bond to the Trio was through Quidditch more than anything else, and Hermione had never been involved with that. In fact, she had never even realized this negligence to form a relationship with the other girl until now. They had shared a bedroom for a few years now, but there had always been a distance between them. In this moment, Hermione had the sudden impression that she was reaching across the gap, waiting for Ginny to decide if they should bridge it. They were all in this together, after all. And they had plenty in common just from having to put up with Ron and Harry for so many years.
“It’s Harry,” Ginny confessed. Hermione felt her shoulders relax with a sudden relief and she smiled. “I know he’s interested, but he keeps pushing me away. Some nonsense about me becoming more of a target than I already am. I’ve tried to talk to him, but he won’t listen. He’s stubborn that way.” Ginny’s lips turned up in an affectionate smile as she looked down at her feet on the mattress.
“Oh, Ginny,” Hermione sighed sympathetically. “Harry just doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. He really cares about you. I know he does. Every time you enter the room, his eyes latch onto you. I’m sure when this is all over he’ll come around and make up for lost time.”
“But I don’t want to wait until then! We don’t know what this war is going to bring! We may not even survive that long! Of course I certainly can’t tell him that. He’d just pull away even more.” Hermione opened her mouth to say something reassuring, but was cut off when Ginny continued with an air of confession. “And then there’s Fleur. All the men in the house are practically drooling over her. I know it’s not love. It’s pure lust, but that doesn’t make it any better. I can’t help but think ‘what am I compared with her?’ and it just makes the rejection so much worse.” Ginny’s eyes looked a little misty and Hermione was taken aback. Ginny Weasley was a brave, tough warrior of a woman. She didn’t cry.
“No. Don’t you even think that,” Hermione commanded. “Ginny, you are striking! Don’t you notice how much attention the boys give you at school? And Harry sees it, too. Of that, I am positive.”
“Maybe, but he has a history with Fleur. They were in the Triwizard Tournament together…”
“That doesn’t mean anything, Ginny. He loves you. I know he does.” Ginny met Hermione’s eyes at that and smiled beautifully.
“You think so?” Hermione nodded, suddenly afraid she may have said too much. “Oh, Hermione! I love him too! I always have! I just wish he would stop being stubborn. Merlin, how I want to get that boy alone!” Hermione choked a little at that pronouncement.
“You want to what?”
“I want to show him just how much I love him, if you know what I mean.” Ginny’s expression turned mischievous and Hermione’s eyes widened. Boy, this sure escalated quickly.
“A-are you sure, Gin? It’s a really big step… and…”she was interrupted by the other girl’s laughter.
“Not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, but you’re a bit late on that one.” Hermione’s jaw dropped in surprise.
“Dean?” she asked after a moment’s thought.
“Yeah… I have to admit, I kind of regret jumping into things with him. But I was trying so hard to get over Harry and it didn’t look like we’d ever end up together.” She shrugged. “Oh, well. What’s done is done.” Hermione was suddenly very curious. Sex had never really been on the agenda for her, even despite Victor Krum’s clumsy fumblings, so it was shocking that Ginny had already experienced it.
“How was it?” she heard herself ask. Ginny laughed, raising an eyebrow at Hermione’s obvious interest.
“Well, the first time was awful. I mean, I always heard that it was painful, but Hermione… you just don’t know. It’s horrible. I was so relieved when Dean didn’t even last a minute.” She laughed guiltily. “Poor thing, he tried so hard…”
Suddenly the door to the bedroom was swung open and the boys invaded their territory, jumping up onto their beds, still deep in discussion about Buckbeak.
“Did you see the way he ripped that last one open? Guts everywhere!” Amidst the chaos, Hermione and Ginny exchanged knowing glances and rolled their eyes at the silly boys in their lives.

…*~*J*~*…
It was four days before Professor Dumbledore returned to the house. All evening Hermione looked for an opportunity to speak with him, but he was constantly accompanied by other members of the Order discussing much more pressing issues than her little request. The talk she had had with Ginny the other night had put her in mind of their vulnerability. It was true that they were all targets in this war. In fact, it wasn’t out of the range of possibility that one of them could be captured and used to bait Harry. The thought sent a tremor of terror down her spine. Even if he didn’t rise to the bait, a tap into their minds would probably give Voldemort enough information about Harry to defeat him. That was why she wanted to ask the Headmaster about Occlumency. It was an idea she had had for a long time, but had finally decided could wait no longer. Though, she admitted privately, the main reason she hadn’t talked to Dumbledore before now was that she was afraid of dealing with Snape. But something about the vulnerability she had seen in his tired features the other night lessened her fear just enough. Therefore, when she spotted the Headmaster heading down to the kitchen late after dinner, presumably for tea, she jumped on the opportunity.
“Professor,” she began without hesitation when she found him alone at the kitchen table.
“Ah, yes, Miss Granger. I had the impression that you were looking to talk to me. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yes, Professor,” she replied, relieved. This was going smoother than she could have hoped. It wasn’t that she had any sort of unreasonable demand from him. Quite the contrary, Hermione believed that this idea would be for the best for everyone involved. “I have been wanting to ask you about something. I have been thinking and I came to realize that Ron and I are vulnerabilities. If one of us was captured, Voldemort could use us to get to Harry. I don’t really know what we can do about that, because Harry would never allow anything to happen to one of us, but that isn’t my main concern. You told us before that You-Know-Who…”
“Say his name, Miss Granger. Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself.”
“Alright. You told us before that… Voldemort… can read minds?” the Headmaster nodded, looking very pleased.
“And you are worried that he will exploit the content of your mind and use it against Harry.” It was not a question, but Hermione answered anyway.
“Yes. That’s why I’ve been thinking that we ought to learn Occlumency to reduce the damage that would cause.” She paused. The Headmaster had a funny, little smile on his face as he considered her.
“Very practical, Miss Granger. Always thinking ahead.” She wasn’t sure if she should respond to that comment or not, but was saved the decision when the Headmaster continued. “I will consider this and give you an answer as soon as I can.” His polite smile told her that the conversation was over, but it looked like the odds were in her favor.
“Thank you, sir,” she murmured with a relieved sigh. He nodded in dismissal and she turned to leave.

…*~*J*~*…
Severus Snape was as deeply immersed in the text before him as he was in the bottle of fire whiskey on the table beside him. Even through the haze of drunken numbness he could tell that this new book on Potions Theory held no information that would be new to him. No matter how far and wide he searched for books to challenge his understanding of the subject, he always came up short. There came a point when the discoveries of other wizards failed to explain any more than he already knew. He was not hesitant, therefore, to toss the book aside when green flames leapt from within his fireplace and the head of Albus Dumbledore appeared.
“Severus?” the old man called, “Are you busy?” Severus drained the rest of his glass and growled his response.
“No.”
At that, the Headmaster stepped into the small study of Severus’s home on Spinner’s End. He looked around the place, as if taking in the changes made since the last time he had visited. Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Nothing had changed about this place since Albus had been there the summer before. Then the man’s old eyes settled on the half-empty bottle and turned hard.
“Indulging in an old habit, Severus?” His voice was stern with reprimand, but it did not faze the younger wizard.
“Would you care for a glass?” Severus offered impertinently. With a wave of his hand a second tumbler appeared next to his own, but Albus waved it away.
“Actually I only came to discuss your eagerness to ensure Harry’s preparation for the upcoming war.” Severus’s eyes slanted in suspicion. The old fart was about to use his own words against him. He responded by pouring a measure of the whiskey into his glass and taking a sip. “I think you will be at a better advantage to teach him if you are staying at Grimmauld Place.” Ah.
“No.” It was a simple statement and brooked no argument. The Headmaster’s answering grin held the cunning of a man who had just placed his opponent in check.
“Ah, but Severus, this summer will give you an unparalleled opportunity to instruct them without the other students present.”
“Them?” Severus felt an angry thrum of foreboding.
“Yes. Miss Granger made the astute point that it might be beneficial to teach Mr. Weasley and herself Occlumency, as a cautionary measure.”
“She what?!”
“Now, Severus, you of all people should support such a decision. After all, they know a great deal about you that Tom might find interesting given the opportunity to delve into their minds.” Severus ground his teeth together. Albus’s tone of giddy obliviousness did not fool him. If he did not consent, it would become a demand. Curse that meddling know-it-all!

…*~*J*~*…
Hermione pulled aside the vinyl curtain and stepped over the edge of the bathtub. A thin layer of mist began to settle across the mirror, but it was nothing compared to the clouds of steam that poured out of the bathroom whenever Ron took a shower. Hermione patted her skin dry and wrapped the towel in her hair before clearing the mirror of its condensation. Once again, she was confronted with her own reflection.
There were slight bags under her eyes from the stress and sleepless nights of late and she cringed at the sallow complexion at odds with the current season. Her gaze swept over the rest of her body and she gave a deep sigh. She was certainly no Fleur; nor a Ginny for that matter. The other girls were so beautiful, with a stunning charisma that drew the heads of wizards wherever they went. Hermione had had a glimpse of that at the Yule ball, years ago, but it was not something she was likely to ever become familiar with. Wrinkling her nose in disgust at her slender form, she pulled the towel from her hair to wrap around herself, effectively hiding her body from view. Her hands worked mechanically, turning the towel in precise folds to leave the embroidered “H” front and center without even thinking about it.
Unzipping her little bag of toiletries, Hermione pulled her toothbrush and toothpaste from their respective places and was opening the cap of her Mother’s recommended brand when there was a sudden commotion outside the door. Someone was yelling. Whether it was in anger or panic she could not discern. She froze, wide eyed, concentrating on the sound to decide if intervention was necessary. When a loud smash shook the walls of the bathroom, Hermione’s mind was made up. Thinking that Ron and Ginny must have been having another row, she burst out of the bathroom in her towel.
A movement to her left drew her attention as the dark form of Professor Snape spun around to face her. “Granger!” he shouted angrily. If the cold rage in his eyes was any indication, the man was furious. He swooped down upon her as he continued his yelling. “Insufferable pest!” he was saying. Her back was to the wall as he towered over her, practically spitting with fury. She could smell the potent stench of whiskey on his breath and was fairly certain that she had never been this afraid. “Do you have no consideration for anyone besides your precious Golden Trio?!” he said the words with such deep loathing that she flinched with fear.
“Thanks to your little entreaty to the Headmaster, I have been deprived of the only peace I ever have away from you dunderheaded brats!” Snape huffed angrily and his eyes suddenly darted down to the towel wrapped around her. He seemed to freeze, as if he hadn’t noticed it until now, but his shocked expression was instantly replaced with a wicked sneer. “You would be the type to wear your towels with the soft side facing away from your skin.” Suddenly, he swept away from her, back down the hallway in the direction he had been headed before, continuing his angry rant. “Mindless sheep! Never questioning what they’re supposed to do!” He slipped into a room on the right side of the hall and there was a loud bang as if he had kicked something before he slammed the door.
Hermione hesitated only a moment for her heartbeat to slow. Her face was hot and her knees were trembling. Then, she flew back into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. What the hell have I done?!

…*~*J*~*…
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Clash of the Conjurers