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The Seduction Game	By : Grill Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 22120 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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.

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Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter characters and the Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling/Warnerbros. I am making no money.

Another chapter... :)

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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: THE ESSENTIAL FRIENDLY INTERFERENCE

“Hermione! Hermione, for the gods’ sake, open the door!”

“Come on, Hermione, you know you can’t stay locked up forever! It’s not even particularly healthy!”

Hermione sighed.

Well, duh, Ron, she thought, of course it’s not healthy.

She really should have predicted that her two best friends would never leave her alone after something like this. They had heard the news right away – naturally enough, seeing as how Ron’s sister had been a part of the ordeal – and had made straight for her flat in London. She’d begged them to go away, pleading with them to understand she needed to be alone, and after what seemed like hours they’d finally given in.

Then, when she’d shown up two days later for Lucius Malfoy’s hearing, they’d been there again, like protective eagles. In the end she’d had to flee from them to get the privacy she so desperately needed.

And now, a week after the attack, they were on her doorstep again for probably the hundredth time.

It just goes to show that you can’t lose faithful friends even when you actually want to.

Well. She didn’t want to lose them, per say, but she didn’t want to speak to them. Hell, she didn’t want to speak to anybody. It had been hard enough reliving the event in court with loads of people watching (including Severus! She’d thought she would die of humiliation), but having to talk about it in depth to your closest friends afterwards was even worse. Somehow, it had been less painful to tell the strangers at the Ministry than it had been to confess the events in short to Harry and Ron.

Now they probably thought she was insane. Or suicidal. Hell, perhaps she was.

“Hermione! This time we’re not leaving until you open!”

“We’re going to camp here! I brought cacao!”

Hermione sighed. In a way, she so wanted to let them in and embrace them and hug the lives out of them, just thankful that they cared at all and didn’t think her dirty and disgusting after what Lucius Malfoy had done to her; and at the same time she never wanted to have to face them again, knowing their faces would be full of pity and, to a certain point (it was unavoidable), disgust.

Because the only possible reaction to what Lucius had done was one of complete disgust.

In the end, he got what he wanted, thought Hermione bitterly. What he’d been after since the very day he first spoke to me at the conference. But she would never think about what he’d actually done. It had been enough to relive it to the court; now she never wanted to so much as think about it again.

“Hermione! Come on; please open the door.”

Harry’s voice was slowly becoming one of defeat. Perhaps they would go away after all? Perhaps they would realize she wanted to be alone and then leave, so she could remain wallowed in self pity and self loathing...

Oh, honestly – something in the back of her head suddenly screamed: Is that the Hermione Granger I know?

No, I guess it’s not, Hermione’s conscious replied. But I don’t know where she is.

Well, you’d better go and relocate her, then, said the strange voice in the back of her head, because the gods know we can’t keep you around forever! Sissy!

“I’m no sissy,” argued Hermione before she’d even realized she’d said it aloud. Then she sighed and stood slowly from her chair.

Okay. Enough wallowing.

After all – who was Hermione Granger, if she couldn’t even face her friends who loved her and would always love her, despite everything?

Well. She would not be Hermione Granger any more, would she. She’d be some sissy – that’s right, sissy! – who would end up sad and alone locked in a big mansion with twelve cats and a gardener who’d never even seen his employer, reading old books and living off some inherited fortune because she couldn’t ever stand to face the outside world again.

Lucius Malfoy would’ve had a good laugh at that picture. He would really have accomplished something then.

And by gods, if Hermione gave up then Lucius would have succeeded!

Not only would he have ruined the relationship between Hermione and Severus – which Hermione was pretty damn certain was deep buried history already – but he would also have ruined her life as she knew it.

And she couldn’t have that.

With determined, and strangely enough, almost angry, steps, she made her way to the door and pulled it open. Outside in the corridor sat Harry and Ron, actually looking quite settled in with their backs leant up against the opposite wall, their expressions those of surprise as Hermione looked down at them.

“Hermione!” the exclaimed simultaneously and scrambled to their feet.

“Sorry,” she said simply, before they got a chance to ask any awkward questions. “Come in. I should have answered earlier.”

They all entered Hermione’s flat, and she made a pot of tea for them. No words were exchanged until Ron had finished his cup.

“How are you?” he asked reluctantly, eyeing Hermione as though he was afraid the very question would make her break out in tears.

But she didn’t – because she’d just realized she wasn’t going to let Lucius win. She’d be strong, if for nothing else than at least out of spite to make sure his plan wouldn’t be a success.

“I’m – I’m better,” she replied; she found it was more difficult to talk than to just think. “Did you – did you hear about... about everything?”

“Tonks told us,” said Harry quickly. “Hermione, look –”

“Don’t talk about it, please,” she interrupted quickly. “I’ve just decided I’m going to pull myself together; the last thing I need is to relive it.”

Harry nodded nervously. “Okay,” he said.

There was a short silence again. During it, Hermione noticed than Ron turned gradually redder and was clutching his cup more intently. Eventually, he spoke.

“I’m going to kill that man,” he whispered with malice.

“He’s being sent to Azkaban, Ron,” said Harry, “so that job’s not yours.”

“He’s sent to Azkaban?” said Hermione, startled.

“Didn’t you know?”

“No, I – I just went for the hearing, I didn’t bother to hear the judgement,” she admitted. “I really just wanted to get out of there. But like I said, I don’t want to talk about it.”

She just couldn’t – because if she did, she knew she’d fall back into her state of self pity and melancholy, and she wouldn’t have any of that. She needed something else, something to talk to the boys about that would take care of the awkward silence and give her a chance to get some distance to the experience.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” she began, eyeing them both.

They looked up at her, curious at this sudden change of subject.

“I’ve – I’ve got a boyfriend,” she said quickly. “Well. At least I did. I don’t think I do any more.”

Harry raised his eyebrows. “Do we know him?”

“Boyfriend?” said Ron, completely befuddled.

“Yes,” confirmed Hermione. “To both questions, sensible as they sounded. You know him, but you don’t like him.”

“Don’t tell me,” muttered Ron. “After Ginny hooked up with Blaise Zabini, nothing surprises me anymore. Let me guess – Draco Malfoy?”

Apparently Ron hadn’t thought that comment through properly enough, as he then would have realized how untactful it was to mention the name Malfoy in front of Hermione. But this was never brought up, as something else caught Hermione’s attention:

Harry was laughing.

“I doubt Draco’d ever hook up with Hermione,” he said, calming down.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, he’s gay.”

“Ah. Well, then.” Ron’s gaze turned to Hermione. “Who is it?”

“You weren’t too far off, actually,” said Hermione, blushing slightly. “It’s Professor Snape. Severus.”

The boys went very silent. The only sound that could be heard in Hermione’s flat at that moment was the ticking of the clock in the kitchen and the sound of breaking porcelain as Ron’s cup slipped from his fingers.

The silence lasted for an unnatural amount of time. Hermione was almost afraid they’d gone mute. In the end, she felt she had to say something.

“Er – guys?” she said hesitantly. “Are you alright?”

“Snape?” said Ron, in a quite obvious state of complete disbelief.

“That’s right,” confirmed Hermione.

“How – what – how’s that possible?” stuttered Harry. “I mean, not that I don’t know how these things happen, but – ew, gross – just – how?”

“I like him,” said Hermione simply. “No, more than that, I adore him. He’s a really great man, and I’m lucky to have him. Was,” she correct herself.

“I don’t believe this,” said Ron and threw himself back on the sofa, his gaze drifting to the ceiling. “This is all some twisted joke,” he muttered, “and soon I will wake up and all the insanity of this past year will just be a dream.”

Hermione sighed and stood from her chair. She stepped over to the sofa, knelt on it and brought her face above Ron’s to catch his attention.

“Ron,” she pressed. “It’s real.”

He looked at her, frowning.

“Hermione,” said Harry from behind them, “how could you end up with someone like that? He’s – well, he’s a real bastard, isn’t he? We always hated him!”

“It’s been almost three years since Hogwarts, Harry,” said Hermione, returning to her seat. “Things have changed. He’s not a bastard to me. Yes, I know he was during our school years, but that’s – well, it’s a thing of the past, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” agreed Ron pointedly, “yeah, and I had always sort of imagined that Snape was a thing of the past, too, what with us graduating and all! Honestly, Hermione, how could you end up with someone like that? Be attracted to someone like that? Oh gods, please don’t tell me you’re attracted to him; please don’t.”

“I am,” she said easily. “I know it’s weird. It’s totally unnatural. But it just happened... Remember the IMG? That’s when I first had trouble with – with Lucius Malfoy,” she swallowed, “and Severus helped me. Well, he saved me, actually.”

“A real knight in shining armour, was he,” muttered Harry, staring at the floor.

Hermione laughed out loud at that.

“What’s so goddamn funny?”

“It’s just – I called him that,” she smiled. “I guess in a way he kind of is my knight in shining armour. He makes me feel... I don’t know, appreciated. Loved.”

“We love you!” said Ron at once, jumping to his feet. “We appreciate you!”

“I know you do,” said Hermione, fighting to maintain her patience as she pushed Ron back down onto the sofa. “But you love and appreciate me like friends. And I am so grateful for that, don’t think I’m not, but I’ve never been cared about like someone’s girlfriend. Severus treats me like a woman. His woman.”

“That’s just disgusting,” said Harry. “His woman.”

“It’s a fact, okay?” said Hermione. “He is really a good guy once you get to know him.” She paused, taking a sip of her tea cup. “But if you don’t like it... It doesn’t really matter. We are probably broken up anyway.”

“You are?” said Ron; to Hermione’s surprise he sounded more startled than happy. “How come?”

“Well... This business with Lucius and all.”

“But Snape went furious about that!” argued Harry. “Tonks told me he sought him out and intended to kill him!”

“He did,” replied Hermione, “and he did that because he cares about me, but... But things have just been so weird since the hearing. So awkward. And I have been avoiding him, actually, because I can’t bear the thought of what he might think of me now that he knows what Lucius did...”

“If he does care about you, like you say he does,” said Harry, “although I doubt it – it’s Snape, after all – then that shouldn’t matter to him! Honestly, Hermione, it’s not as if you’ve done something wrong here!”

“No, no,” said Hermione hesitantly. “I just... No. Never mind it. It’s just... No. You needn’t worry about it, because we’re probably broken up. I know you hate him, and now you can relax because it’s most likely over.”

The two boys were staring at her as though they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Honestly! They didn’t like Snape, so why would they be unhappy about the probable break-up? They should be dancing, not sulking.

But for some reason they were sulking.

--

Harry had reached Hogsmeade and was making his way home from Hermione’s that day with mixed feelings. Sure, he was thrilled to see her again and happy to learn that she was doing okay, but... Well, this business with Snape troubled him.

He’d never liked Snape, and he still didn’t. The thought of Snape doing anything to Hermione was just... gods, no. Don’t go there.

But it was quite obvious what he meant to her. She’d looked genuinely sad about them probably no longer being a couple; she’d looked almost... fragile. And that was so unlike the Hermione he knew. Harry didn’t like to see her like that, it was troubling. Hermione Granger was never fragile. She was strong and confident and knowledgeable.

And clearly her relationship with Snape had inflicted this. It was as though... as though she needed him. Needed him to hang on to her confident self, the old Hermione, the one they all loved. It was as though, after the experience with Lucius Malfoy, Snape was the only one who could hold on to the old Hermione and avoid her slipping away from them all. Perhaps he was the only one who could reach her.

And if Hermione thought they’d broken up and chose to avoid him... Well, the gods knew Snape wasn’t a very pursuing person. If he thought Hermione didn’t want him, he probably went out of his way to make sure he avoided contact, too. And that was no good.

In stead of taking the left turn towards his own apartment, Harry suddenly found himself turning right, in direction of an all too familiar castle in the distance.

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A/N: Thanks so much to my beta, JessiokaFroka! And incidentally, that image of Hermione stuck in a house sad and alone with twelve cats comes from a friend of mine’s prediction of what I might look like in ten years from now if I don’t stop being so bloody picky. Apparently.

My Live Journal is up and running – my username is missgrill, so feel free to check it out! A good place to learn more about the insanities of Grill.

“Unfortunates” is also updated today, and of course thanks so much to all my reviewers. :)

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The Seduction Game