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Unquestionable Love	By : CRMediaGal Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 3380 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is copyrighted to and belongs to JK Rowling. I own none of her associated characters. New characters belong to me. No money/profit is made from this story.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
A/N: A chapter of relentless conversations...

Many thanks to my wonderful beta reader, Brittny.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is copyrighted to and belongs to JK Rowling. I own none of her associated characters. New characters belong to me.

Chapter 24: Growing Developments

Hailey stirred the Deflating Draught and hummed softly to herself. She had been brewing, filling phials, and packaging shipments for three hours now, but the time was whizzing by at a remarkably fast pace, though without any notice from the young girl. She was too wrapped up in what she was doing, enjoying the therapeutic practice of Potion-making that she found both challenging and productive.

Severus sat leisurely at his desk, peering over at his daughter periodically as she worked, relaying the next steps in the process for her while consistently checking her work. He dipped his quill in red ink and wrote furiously all over another third year's exam, grimacing with much displeasure. He moved onto the next in the stack and repeated the process over again, as he had for the past several hours.

"Are you still grading?" Hailey asked with surprise, glancing over at him as she put out the fire beneath the cauldron with her wand.

Severus let out a deep, heavy grunt in response, which Hailey took as a 'yes.' He rubbed his temples and resumed the process, scratching away just as rapidly as before.

Then the door to the Potions lab flew open, and a unreadable figure with a pointed hat and large robes waltzed into the room. As the person drew closer and out of the shadows, Hailey was shocked to see Headmistress McGonagall approaching. Her aged face looked quite distressed, though she flashed a quick smile towards her.

"Hailey, how nice to see you again."

"Headmistress," she nodded courteously.

McGonagall folded her hands together and scanned the two of them thoughtfully. "Well, how are things going so far?"

Hailey turned to her father, who turned around in his chair to take her in, holding his quill all the while. He glanced back at McGonagall, his thin lips forming into the faintest hint of a smile that only Hailey caught.

"Very well," he replied in an unemotional tone, though she knew he meant it. "She's been an enormous help."

"I'm delighted to hear it, Severus." The elderly witch turned to Hailey, her kind eyes searching the girl's youthful features. "You're not overwhelmed, I trust?"

Severus's head peered over in her direction, but he did not make eye contact. Hailey shook her mangled curls definitively.

"Oh, no, Headmistress. Not at all. I don't mind."

"I'm so glad." McGonagall quickly diverted her attention back to the professor, her demeanor quite serious. "Severus, may I speak with you for a moment? In private?"

"Of course," he murmured, laying down his quill.

Severus labored for a moment in his chair to gather his strength before rising to his feet without any imbalance or glimmer of pain; Hailey suspected he wanted to fool the Headmistress. He had been trying to hide his afflictions since the start of term and although Hailey desperately wanted to inquire after what was wrong, she could not bring herself to ask. She knew her probing would only make her father cross and even though things were going much better between them now, she felt it an impossible task. Things were practically normal again, and Hailey did not want to jinx the far less tense atmosphere.

Severus disappeared into his office with McGonagall and shut the door. Hailey predicted that he must have muted the door with his wand so as not to be overheard, because she could not detect their voices from within. Hailey gazed at the door frame for a moment longer but then shrugged and began gathering up some phials, placing them on a nearby table to fill them with the Deflating Draught as Severus had instructed her to do a few minutes prior.

Hailey's skills had advanced in a short matter of time, and the first year had become quicker at filling up the phials than before. She was just getting ready to package the Deflating Draughts when she heard voices she recognized, muffled at first, then growing clearer. She whisked her head around and saw two figures emerge in the open doorway. They hesitated at first when they saw Hailey, but then the taller of the two advanced.

"Hey, sis!"

"Surina?"

Hailey squinted to make out the other silhouette, and her heart sank as she took in the unfortunate sight of Scorpius Malfoy. He had his usual half-cocked sneer that he normally bestowed upon those he disliked, Hailey included. Her dark brown eyes narrowed.

"Still assisting, eh?" Surina inquired, not noticing the cold exchange between them.

"Yes, I am."

"That's unfortunate," Scorpius sniggered, not missing the opportunity to jab at Hailey where he knew it would ruffle her most.

"Quiet, you!" Surina shot him an evil glare but also a rather playful grin that Hailey did not understand.

Hailey crossed her arms and frowned. "What do you want?" she asked, addressed more toward Scorpius than her sister.

"I came to see Dad."

"Well, he's busy at the moment."

Surina whipped her long, black locks behind her back, holding a few books in one arm as she scanned the lab, no doubt looking for the professor. Scorpius did the same.

"Where is he?"

"In his office talking to McGonagall."

"Talking?" Scorpius reiterated, with an air of suspicion. "Shouldn't he have work to do? Papers to grade, that sort of thing?"

"Of course he does!" Hailey snapped, annoyed with the blonde boy to no end. "Anyway, what's it to you?"

Scorpius shrugged, but Surina kept eye contact with her sister, not saying a word. "No matter. My grandfather just wouldn't appreciate hearing that my instructor—his old schoolmate—has been slacking off."

Surina gave an unexpected huff and turned around to face him, the mischievous smile wiped from her handsome face. "Don't even go there, Scorpius!" she threatened, shoving her books hard against his chest. He gave his fellow Slytherin an offended look before taking the books reluctantly into his hands. "You won't talk about my dad like that. Not while I'm around, anyway, and you don't have to hang about either. I'm going to be a while."

Hailey's eyebrows rose, surprised at Surina's collected assertion and reprimanding of her close friend, but she made no objection and was relieved when the sinister-looking boy obeyed and slunk away into the shadows. He disappeared out of the room without another word. Surina turned to her sister with an apologetic expression.

"How are you friends with that git?" Hailey pressed, before she could stop herself. "He's quite awful, Surina."

Surina, however, simply smirked and did not answer, choosing instead to come to her sister's side and examine the box of phials on the table. Her eyes surveyed the familiar surroundings and she stepped around in a circle, taking in her father's chambers.

"Do you think he'll be long?" she questioned after a time, taking a seat in the chair Severus normally occupied.

"I'm not sure." Hailey did not know what to make of her sister's visit, but she suspected that it had nothing to do with Potions.

"I'd like to ask him about what he's found out."

Hailey scrunched up her nose curiously. "About the match?"

Surina nodded and her hair shimmered in the light of the flickering candles lining the walls. Her pale face grew less solitary and more grave as she sat poised with her hands in her lap. Hailey reacted and sauntered over to Surina, scrutinizing her with raised eyebrows.

"Are you all right, sis?"

"Yeah," Surina whispered, offering her younger sibling a weak smile. "Just still a little shook up."

"Well, that's understandable."

Hailey was about to say something else when Severus's office door swung open, breaking the stillness, and both girls glanced over as he and McGonagall came through the threshold. McGonagall clearly looked worried about something, but Severus was as inscrutable as always.

McGonagall strolled towards them with Severus at her heel, his hands laced behind his back and his frame rigid like a statue. The Headmistress's eyes softened as she took in the striking appearance of Surina, who, more than any of the girls, resembled the witch's former pupil the most.

"Good evening, Surina," McGonagall greeted with her genuine smile.

"Good evening, Headmistress. How are you?"

"Well enough as can be expected, thank you." The elderly witch hinted at some sort of discouragement that made the Snape children's brows rise. "You are just the person I wanted to see, actually." Severus mumbled something under his breath that Surina did not catch, but she slowly rose from her father's chair and stared at the two powerful wizards with conjecture. "I know you were expected to play in the match against Ravenclaw this weekend."

"Were, Headmistress?" Surina inquired with clear urgency.

McGonagall sighed and clutched her hands together. "I'm afraid I have to ask you and Lily to withdraw from playing in any future Quidditch matches until this incident is resolved."

Hailey peered over at her older sister with pity, sensing what her sister was probably thinking. Surina's face contorted, showcasing a mixture of fleeting emotions.

"What? No! Please, Headmistress! Don't take me out of Quidditch. I - I just started—"

"No exceptions, Surina," McGonagall interrupted, the brim of her hat masking her stern eyes. "What happened to you and your sister is a quite serious matter that the school cannot ignore. I don't think either of you should play in any future games until we find out who is behind these attacks. That includes all future practices as well." Surina turned to her father in desperation, her eyes begging him for support, but he remained silent and unmoved, so McGonagall pressed on. "I've just been informing your father about the latest developments from my end regarding the match. He and I are in agreement that this is the best solution for now."

Surina was dumbfounded, and her disappointed reaction softened the wrinkles in the aged lady's face. She placed a hand on Surina's shoulder and squeezed it affectionately.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but that's my final word, and your father's as well."

Surina wanted to plead her case some more, but McGonagall swiftly turned to Severus, who gave the Headmistress an agreeable nod before escorting her to the door. Hailey and Surina watched the two of them exchange another few hushed words before McGonagall took her leave. Severus closed the door behind her and slowly progressed back towards them, his heavy robes swaying back and forth dramatically.

"Dad! Please!" Surina tried to beseech him, wringing her hands out in front of her. "Don't do this to me. I just became Chaser. Please!"

Severus growled and ran an elegant hand through his thick hair. "Don't argue with me, Surina. Not now. The decision is final."

"To hell with that! Please, Dad!"

Severus let out a prolonged, tired groan and scanned his daughter, his pale face visibly agitated. "What would you have me do? Allow you and Lily to play after what's happened? I shouldn't have even let either of you keep practicing. It's absurd! You could have been seriously injured, Surina, or worse."

"No, I couldn't!" she retorted, too upset to think clearly. "This is the one thing I've been looking forward to this year. Please, Dad! Don't take Quidditch away from me. Please!"

Severus did not answer for a moment, and the harsh frown he displayed turned into an apologetic glower. "I'm sorry, Surina, but I must. I won't let you and Lily get hurt again. Your mother would agree—"

"I won't get hurt! Don't treat me like a child, Dad!"

Severus rounded on her in a flash, his lips snarling in response. Hailey wanted to interrupt the argument, but it escalated too quickly and loudly for her to chime in.

"Then stop acting foolish, Surina! Be sensible!"

"I'm not being foolish! I want to play—"

"Well, you can't! So stop with your insufferable complaints—"

"THIS ISN'T FAIR AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"Lower your voice, Surina!"

"NO! I won't! You're being unfair—"

"ENOUGH! I won't hear any more about it! You are not playing, and that's final! Have I made myself clear yet?"

Surina hesitated, her dark eyes swimming with bitter tears. She stomped the ground with all of her built-up frustration and let out an aggravated growl that sounded eerily like the Potions Master. Then she abruptly decided to leave. Severus tried to grab her as she flew past him, but Surina swung up her arm out of his grasp with a speed that was too quick for him.

"Surina—"

"NO! PISS OFF!"

Hailey's pupils expanded, stunned at Surina's remark. Her sister hardly ever got snippy with their father, and far less so than she, but tonight was a different story. Hailey reluctantly turned to Severus and drew back, fearful of what might happen next; but Severus simply stared after his lookalike as she slammed the door behind her, the sound echoing along the frigid dungeon corridors. Her furious footsteps eventually died away, leaving the atmosphere tense and stifling.

Severus turned around and closed his eyes, taking several calculated breaths to calm his temper at the ugly scene that had just unfolded. Hailey saw that his face was a shade whiter than before, which immediately unsettled her, but even more alarming were his trembling hands at his sides, something Hailey had never witnessed before. Hailey waited a moment, hoping whatever affliction or foul temperament her father was experiencing would pass, but after an agonizing moment or two it did not cease. His eyes remained shut, seemingly unaware that she was still present and gawking up at him with concern.

Hailey progressed quietly to her father's side and tugged at his robes, biting her lip as she peered up at him and waited for him to respond. Severus's eyes fluttered open, and he blinked several times before glancing down at her, a dawning realization that she had been there the whole time emerging on his troubled face.

"She'll get over it, Dad," Hailey whispered encouragingly. She wanted to say more, but a lump formed in her throat.

Severus took Hailey's round face into one of his still-shaking palms and held it for a moment, though with a struggle that was irrefutable. She could not make out Severus's fuzzy expression, only that he was suddenly quite drained and tired. Finally, he sighed and meandered away towards his desk, grunting softly with every step.

Hailey trailed after him and thought Severus might address her, but he picked up his quill and resumed grading the stack of papers on his desk, his hand moving much slower than before, with the other supporting the weight of his head. Hailey lingered a moment longer before returning to the box she had been working on and finished it in a rush, setting it on a desk with a bunch of other packaged orders before turning to her father for guidance. Severus did not peer up at her but kept writing, his hands still quivering unnaturally.

"You may go for the evening," he muttered in his dry tone.

Hailey approached his desk, surveying him with a worried brow. "I could stay? Do a few more orders if it would help?"

Severus shook his head, however, and did not meet her gaze. "No, you've done more than enough for one night, Hailey, thank you. You may go now."

Hailey slunk her shoulders in disappointment. She glanced over at the many orders she had completed and turned back to Severus, who was still writing with a glum, fatigued placidity that made her stomach lurch.

"Well, I'll at least take these to the Owlery for you."

Severus turned to his daughter to protest the help, but she had already turned around and whipped out her wand, levitating the parcels into the air. He let out a sigh of defeat, hardly in the mood to argue yet again.

"Just be careful, Hailey," he cautioned.

Hailey offered Severus a faint smile. Her unkempt bangs glided over her eyes a little, but he could tell they were surveying him with a fondness he recognized. It was comforting to see after the lapse of such display for so many weeks.

Severus watched as the petite child waltz out of the room in her endearingly awkward fashion. Once she was gone, however, he immediately removed a scarlet-colored phial from his pocket and gulped it down in a hurry. He hunched over as the substance entered his body, his eyes flinching and his mouth grunting against the pains for a moment.

Then Severus's trembling hand suddenly dropped the empty phial, which landed on the floor and shattered into a dozen pieces. He breathed heavily and gripped the desk for some kind of support but when the pains did not subside, Severus let out one of several difficult gasps.

"Goddamn it!" he wheezed aloud, covering his face with his hands as his hunched frame jolted against the pangs coursing through his body.

Severus remained crouched in his chair for some time, his black frame jerking every now and then as he continued to clutch his face, his long hair masking whatever inflictions he was experiencing. And for the first time in a long while, Severus wished that the dungeons weren't so deserted.

Surina sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall with her arms crossed and a permanent scowl that had been etched on her face all morning and all week long. Another Quidditch practice would take place this evening without her—there had been several already that week—and the attractive youth could not disguise her jealousy as she examined her other teammates scattered around the table. All of them would get to play, but not her.

This is so unfair! she grunted, narrowing her eyes.

Though Surina felt bad for losing her temper on her father earlier that week, she had not made the effort to speak to Severus since. In class, she did the tasks he assigned, but never made a point of looking at him. She was still far too angry, but she knew she would have to face him eventually, and that thought annoyed her more than anything else.

"Would you quit frowning like that?" Scorpius teased from behind, startling her. "It's quite unbecoming on you."

Scorpius plopped down beside her with his usual wry smile. He scanned Surina's face and stifled a snigger.

"What?" she breathed with contempt. She was in no mood for Scorpius's jabs.

"You've been in a pissy mood all week long. When are you going to be your normally sarcastic self again?"

"Oh, shove off!"

"Surina, you'll play Quidditch again, so quit your whining. It's annoying as hell."

"Until the school finds out what happened, Scorpius, I can't play! I can't even practice! This is a load of codswallop!"

"Well, we still won the first match. That should count for something, right?"

"Yeah, and it would have been nice to be a part of since it was my first game, for that matter!"

"Well, you were preoccupied," Scorpius teased. "That's your loss. You should have come back to the game once Lily was taken to the hospital wing."

Surina gawked at the first year, offended. "Lily took a serious blow to the head, Scorpius! I wasn't just going to run back to the match and leave her! Sometimes I really question who you are."

Scorpius brushed off her comment and rubbed his hand through his spiky hair. "Why did your father go along with McGonagall on this anyway? I'm surprised."

Surina rolled her eyes dramatically. "Because he thinks something's going to happen to me or Lily if we play, and Mum agrees with him. It's all such rubbish!"

"And McGonagall didn't tell you anything about what she's found out? I thought you were going to ask your dad?"

"No, she wouldn't elaborate, but she clearly looked nervous, and I was planning to ask my dad about it until they both told me I couldn't play. And now..."

Scorpius smirked and raised a fair eyebrow. "Well, I think you've missed the opportunity, Surina." The elegant second year glanced at him with undisguised irritation. "You did tell your father to 'piss off,' you know. I wish I could have been there!"

Surina frowned and shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to remember her heated words, nor Scorpius's rather displeasing moment of glee. She grumbled and hunched her shoulders.

"I need to apologize to him..."

"No, you don't!" Scorpius hissed, causing Surina's rear back in surprise. "You should be allowed to play! And what happened was a fluke anyway. Your father and the school are being babies about this whole matter. It was an accident. They happen all the time in Quidditch!"

Surina sighed, not wanting to debate the issue with Scorpius yet again. They had argued back and forth for weeks over what had happened, and it was beginning to unnerve her that her good friend could not seem to fathom that her broom was, in fact, jinxed and that the Bludger that hit Lily was intentional. It was as if he was deliberately choosing not to believe her. Surina turned away from him in disgust, her arms still wrapped tightly around herself.

"I know you have reservations about that," Scorpius pressed on, inching towards her as a few other Slytherins sauntered in and sat down around them, "but look, from what I could see, it didn't look deliberate, all right? Sometimes bad things just happen."

"You weren't up close to it like I was, Scorpius," Surina breathed quietly, her voice unraveling. "You didn't see it from my perspective. It wasn't an accident. I wish you could accept that instead of contradicting me about it all the time."

Surina gathered up her books on the table and did not meet Scorpius's puzzled gaze as she rose from her seat with a grave sigh.

Beatrice, a second year with a protracted nose, stared up at her questioningly. "Where are you going, Surina?"

"Library," she muttered between clenched teeth, turning away from Scorpius and her friends without another word.

Dear Severus,

I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to send you an update on our progress which, regrettably, isn't much. I apologize for the delay, though I daresay you probably already have enough on your hands as it is.

The Aurors Office is still examining the deaths at St. Mungo's and the process has been painstakingly slow. Just like the previous cases, there were no traces of DNA found on any of the bottles. Whoever the culprit is, he has been more than careful not to trace any skin tissue, hairs, or molecules back to himself. The writing on the elixirs is also the same as before. It looks eerily similar to yours, I might add, so please be on your guard. I know you don't want to hear that and I have no doubt that you already do so anyhow, but I suppose I need to reiterate it for my own peace of mind, so forgive me. I will send you another sample of one of the phials as soon as I am able to snatch it away from one of our greedy lab techs.

The victims themselves are a peculiar lot. I'm not sure what you may have already uncovered or know about them, so I will be brief. Three of the five worked for the Ministry. Oliver Greenway was a lawyer who initially worked under Cornelius Fudge when he was Minister. He retired five years ago and was in St. Mungo's for a case of uncontrollable laughter. No one knows how he came under the spell, but it doesn't sound like anything serious. Alice Sparrow was a trainee at the Department of Mysteries in the Time Chamber. I have little information on what exactly her job entailed, but I'm working on it. Barclay Oxenbrigg, of course, worked in the Wizengamot Administrative Services as a clerk. I knew him personally. He was very helpful in the Death Eater trials years ago, as I'm sure you are well-aware, so it has been very hard coming to terms with his passing.

I can't help but sense a connection between all of these deaths and those who have gotten sick. Or perhaps that is just my 'brilliant mind' grasping at straws (that should bring a smile to your face, I'm sure!). I would really love your input, sir. If this is truly on a universal scale, with the wizarding world at large as its target, I don't want to be overlooking anything...

Have you made contact yet with the retired Potions professor from Durmstrang, Hamilton Cosworth? I've had a few Aurors make the rounds to his house, but he's such a recluse and won't allow us to speak to him. Last time I sent someone out to try and talk to him, the old man unleashed a group of Cornish pixies on the poor chap. He was quite flustered and refuses to go back, and I've already tried writing to Cosworth myself to no avail. Any chance he'd speak to you, Severus? I know you both go way back... Perhaps you could coax some information out of him for us? It would be incredibly helpful, though I hate to ask this of you with everything else you have going on.

I hope Lily and Surina are recouping. James was quite shaken over the accident, and Ginny, too. I trust McGonagall is working with her contacts to bring the matter to a head? Have you gotten any leads at this point? I know you and McGonagall are reluctant to ask for our help at this juncture, but please know we are ready to assist. If you need my help, please don't hesitate to ask. It's the least I can do after all of the help you've provided me on these poisons.

Ginny and Lily send their regards. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Harry

Severus read over the letter a second time, trying to retain all of the information Harry Potter had disclosed. Severus had written Hamilton Cosworth a week ago and was surprised to not receive a reply himself. He knew how much the aged professor generally disliked people, but he had always gotten on well with the Durmstrang hermit, probably because of the regard for a certain subject matter the two shared, not to mention a certain debt the retired instructor owed Severus from long ago.

Severus grumbled at the idea of paying his colleague a visit. If it were to happen, it would have to be on his personal time, and he was already looking forward to finally going home to spend time with his wife for a change. It felt like ages since he had seen Hermione.

Severus threw down the letter in frustration, displaying his infamous dark scowl. He knew a visit with Cosworth would be an all-day affair.

That dingbat can talk till the sun goes down! he lamented with a discouraged sigh.

And, yet, it had to be done. Severus rubbed his forehead and shook his black locks. He took a blank piece of parchment from the top of his desk and wrote a quick note to the fetching witch he was longing to see.

Hermione,

I will be arriving late Saturday afternoon now, rather than the morning. I'm terribly sorry. On behalf of Mr. Potter and the Aurors Office, I have to pay a last minute visit to Hamilton Cosworth. You remember him, I'm sure. I would much rather spend my time in your company, as always.

I will be home as soon as I am able. Please convey my regrets to Jeannie. I know she will be disappointed, and she can scorn me as she sees fit.

Love,

Severus
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Unquestionable Love