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A Drop in the Ocean	By : AndreaLorraine Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 3498 -:- 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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�� I needn�t tell you to be careful, Severus,� Dumbledore
said.

�� No, you needn�t,� was the response, cold but somehow
weary.

�� Do what you can, but watch your back.� I do not like this news of Karkaroff.�

�� They will kill him the moment he dares to show his
face.�

�� You know what he is best at, Severus.� Ratting out his
companions.�

�� Then perhaps I will have to take the forefront in
assuring that he is silenced.�

�� I am sorry,� Dumbledore said softly.� �I know you don�t---�

�� Oh, honestly, Albus, what is one more?� he snapped.� �I�d be doing the world a service.�

�� A heavy sigh from Dumbledore.

�� Check in with me when you return,� the Headmaster said
resignedly.

�� Of course,� Snape said, stepping out of the cubicle.

�� Good luck, Sev.�

�� Selena�s voice followed him all the way out of the
Infirmary, and the three huddled under the cloak could have sworn they saw a
look akin to pain on his face.

�� Well,� Dumbledore said, after Snape had disappeared from
the room.� �I think we�ve had enough
excitement for one day.�

�� I agree.� I do
have one question, though.�

�� Oh?�

�� Who are those three in the corner under the Invisibility
Cloak?�

�� Harry, Ron, and Hermione all blanched as Dumbledore gave
a deep chuckle.

�� Our local mischief mongers,� the old mage said, sticking
his head out of the cubicle and looking directly at them.� �Come over here, you three.� You should be properly introduced.�

�� How does she know?� Harry whispered.

�� It�s a conspiracy!� Ron whined.

�� Come on, don�t poke about,� Dumbledore said, his eyes
twinkling with laughter.

�� Harry sighed and glanced at his companions.� Simultaneously, they threw the cloak off and
shuffled over to the cubicle, their cheeks burning.

�� Wow,� Ron whispered as Dumbledore herded them into the
cubicle.� It was the first look they had
gotten at her face and they were not disappointed.

�� These three know the ropes,� Selena said, warmly.� �What are you, fourth or fifth years?�

�� Fifth,� Harry said sheepishly.� She tilted her head to the side, looking at
him closely.� A familiar surge of
annoyance rose in Harry�s chest.� This
was the part where his new acquaintance figured out who he was and spent five
minutes marveling over it.� Though his
hair was covering his scar, he could see recognition in her eyes.

�� Harry Potter,� she said, the corners of her lips rising
in a very slight smile.� �You look quite
a bit like your father, but I�m sure you hear that all the time.�

�� He nodded.

�� Did you know him?�

�� Oh yes, I went to school with him.� And judging by your late-night wanderings,�
she said, smirking, �you have quite a bit of him in you.�

�� Harry looked at the floor and blushed.� This woman seemed to see right through him,
and he felt mildly ashamed for being annoyed with her.

�� Who are your friends?� she asked after another moment.

�� This is Hermione Granger,� he said, gesturing to his
right.� �And this is Ron Weasley.�

�� I can shamefully say that I have heard of both of you,
thanks to unhealthy addictions to The Daily Prophet and Witch�s Weekly.� Ridiculous, the things they write about
people,� she said, winking at Hermione.

�� It�s been quiet lately, though,� Dumbledore said,
casting a sideways glance at the young witch.�
�I suppose somebody finally found out how to best Rita Skeeter.�

�� Both Ron and Harry turned to stare at Hermione.

�� Haven�t you let her go yet, �Mione?�
Ron asked.

�� No,� she said, crossing her arms over her chest and
giving him an impassive glare.� Selena
laughed, which returned all of their glances to her.

�� I think you�ll find, boys, that once you invoke a
woman�s wrath, it takes a long, long time to cool.� You keep that awful woman locked up wherever
you have her, Miss Granger.�

�� I will,� Hermione said, breaking into a smile.

�� Don�t encourage them, Selena, dear.� They�ve already broken every rule in the
book,� Dumbledore said, grinning and wagging a finger in a mock gesture of
reprobation.

�� Not every one, I�m sure.� But they still have time.�

�� Indeed,� the old wizard said, raising an eyebrow.� �You�ve let me forget my manners.� Harry, Ron, Hermione�meet Ms. Selena Snape.�

�� Ron could not keep his jaw from dropping.� Harry managed a small gasp.

�� Snape?!� Hermione
exclaimed.� �You�re his��

�� Sister,� Selena finished for her.

�� Twin sister,� Dumbledore added.

�� Twin?!� Ron gasped.� �But you don�t look a day over thirty!�

�� Hermione elbowed him in the ribs, but he was too shocked
to even notice.

�� I�m thirty-six,� she said with a shrug.

�� But Snape�!�

�� Six minutes younger than me.�

�� But he looks��

�� Ron, stop being so rude!�
Hermione said, elbowing him again.

�� It�s all right,� Selena shrugged.� �If you get a close look at him, you�ll see
that he�s not as old as he seems.� But of
course the chances of that happening are nonexistent.� He only looks young when he laughs or smiles
� really smiles.� Not that evil smile he
gets when he�s going to bother someone.�

�� Snape laughs?� Ron said, mostly to himself.

�You�re
definitely his sister,� Harry said.

�� You bet I am.� I
was the first victim of that smile, after all��

�� Harry found himself smiling.

�� So,� he said, quirking an
eyebrow.� �Did you beat him up when you
were kids?�

�� Even Dumbledore laughed at that.

�� Just between us,� Selena said, �I still beat him
up.� So every time he makes you angry �
which I know he will, you�re Gryffindors � just
picture me beating the stuffing out of him.��
She cracked her knuckles for effect, looking distinctly smug.

�� Selena, dear, don�t make Potions class any harder for
them.� I can only imagine the detentions
they�d get if they began laughing every time they see him.�

�� How are you related to that man?� Ron wondered, again
mostly to himself.� �You�re so nice��

�� Was he fat when he was young?� Hermione asked, smirking.

�� No, no, we were both always emaciated little
things.� Oh, and by the way, the spell
you wanted before was Russo Translatia.�

�� I have to ask,� Harry said after observing the burst of
surprise that made its way onto Hermione�s face.� �How did you see us before, and how did you
know what Hermione was thinking?�

�� With the exception of the Weasley
brothers, I have found that twins, while looking similar, are nothing alike,�
Dumbledore said.� �Severus�s
talent is Potions, and Selena�s expertise is in Divination.�

�� Divination,� Hermione said flatly, wrinkling her
nose.� Selena laughed.

�� Yes, it�s not for everyone.� I daresay it�s not even for Professor
Trelawney, most of the time.�

�� Hush, hush, Selena,� Dumbledore said with a knowing
smile.

�� Well I�m sure you already know the secret,� she said. ��Make it as gory and violent and dismal as
possible, and you�ll have your A.�

�� Yes, we�ve noticed,� Harry said, returning her
grin.� �Ron and I have already died in
every horrific way imaginable.�

�� Good chap,� she said, her smile fading slightly.

�� Come now,� Dumbledore said, clearly picking up on the
fade of her mood.� �We have all had long
days, and classes to look forward to tomorrow.�

�� It�s very nice meeting you, Ms�� Harry
starting, trailing off.� It was
rather difficult assigning that name to her.

�� Just Selena, for all of you,� she said, seeming to
understand.� �I am sure I will see you
again.�

�� To your beds, the three of you,� Dumbledore said, the
tone of his voice indicating that he would tolerate no further wandering.� �And don�t forget to act surprised tomorrow
when I introduce Selena to the rest of the school.�

�� The three of them made their way to the door, whispering
among themselves.�
A small smile graced Dumbledore�s face as they reflexively drew together
and threw the cloak on.� A few minutes
passed in a comfortable silence, and then Selena spoke softly.

�� I was hoping my streak would break,�

�� You foresaw this?� he asked, pushing the curtain back from
one of the windows and gazing out into the starlit night.

�� I�ve been having dreams,� she sighed.� �Dreams in which I would
die by the Dementor�s Kiss.� And now they�re after me.�

�� They will not find you here.� I will die before I allow those creatures to
roam the halls of my school.�

�� I know.� But it
isn�t just me.� Something is going to
happen to Severus soon, I can feel it.� And that girl � Hermione.�
When she stepped in here��

�� What did you see?�

�� Fire.�

�� Dumbledore sighed.�
�Do you suppose Professor Trelawney still has the log you wrote down of
everything you predicted?�

�� I�m sure she does.�

�� We should take a look at it.� It may offer clearer answers.� Perhaps you can fill in names where there
were none before.�

�� Then that is my project for tomorrow,� she agreed.

�� Do you mind staying in here?� Dumbledore asked, turning
back to her.� �If you want I can walk you
down to Severus�s room, I�m sure he won�t mind you nodding off in there.�

�� Here is fine.�
He�ll be much more in need of a comfortable bed when he returns.� And besides�,� she said, squinting slightly
and then nodding, �there�s a Malfoy in that house.�

�� Indeed, what a surprise.�
A Malfoy in Slytherin
house.�

�� The scumbag should have sent him to Durmstrang.�

�� Now, now, Selena,� he said, even though he knew she was well
within her right to use more profane terms than �scumbag.�

�� You are too kind, Albus.�

�� Yes, just a soft old man,� Dumbledore agreed quietly.

�� I�m sorry,� she apologized a moment later.� �I�ve just forgotten how dangerous and
frightening life is in the world of magic right now.�

�� No need, my dear.�
No need,� the old wizard said, stretching a bit.� �I think I will bid you good night.� I take it you remember the hours for
breakfast?�

�� She nodded.

�� If you see anything in your dreams, Selena, do write it
down�� he added, waving his wand and muttering a spell.� A quill, ink, and a stack of parchment
appeared on the table at her bedside.

�� Good night, Albus.�
You�ll send Fawkes to me when Sev comes back, won�t you?�

�� The Headmaster smiled warmly at her, his eyes twinkling.

�� You read my mind.�

�� *�� *�� *�� *�� *�� *

�� He had blood under his nails.� Ugh.�

�� He was trying valiantly not to let Dumbledore see how
much it bothered him.� He was itching
for a scalding hot shower.� He always was
after nights like this.

�� Are you all right?� Dumbledore asked.� That was always his first question.

�� Fine.�

�� Oh yes, he was grand.�
He had been the �example� of the evening.� Voldemort had hit
him with the Cruciatus Curse nine times.� He felt like his insides were fried.� He had no idea how he�d even made it back.

�� Anything to tell me?�

�� Just a bit of play with some muggle women.�

�� Did you have to�?�

�� No.� I broke a
record.�

�� And what record is that?�

�� Most times hit with the Cruciatus
Curse without dying on the spot.� I
couldn�t even stand up for an hour.� And
that clod, Pettigrew�thought himself all high and
mighty and gave me a nice kick in the kidneys.�
I swear, no Dementor
is going to have the pleasure of ending that miserable coward�s life��

�� His luck will run out soon, Severus.�

�� Yes, and I hope it is courtesy of my wand or my fist,�
Snape said darkly, his eyes narrowing.

�� Did you hear anything about Karkaroff?�

�� Nothing.�

�� Anything amiss?�

�� No.� Business as usual.�

�� Where did that blood come from?� Dumbledore said,
nodding towards him.

�� The blood under his nails.� Damn the omnipotent mage�what was he supposed
to say?� Oh, I tore my own skin off in
agony?

�� Myself,� he finally said
tightly.� He tilted his head to the side
so the nail tracks on his neck were visible.�
He supposed he looked like he�d been attacked by one of Hagrid�s �pets�.

�� Come,� Dumbledore said, standing.� �It�s five, Poppy should be awake and
worrying over your sister.� I would like
to have her take a look at you.�

�� No, Albus.� I have
classes in three hours.� I need to
sleep.� I�m fine.�

�� Someone can substitute for you.�

�� No.�

�� Severus, you need to take help where you can get it.�

�� I will take help when I need it.� Which is not right now,� Snape said through
his teeth.� Sometimes the old man could
be so aggravating�

�� Dumbledore�s brows knitted.� He could always order the Potions
Master to see Madame Pomfrey.� But what was the point?� He was walking, albeit with a slight,
well-disguised limp, and he seemed his usual bright-eyed, venomous self.

�� All right,� he said at last.� �Go. �But I�m canceling your morning classes.�

�� Albus---�

�� No arguments,� the Headmaster said, holding a hand
up.� He received a withering glare, but
Snape held his tongue.

�� You should tell Selena I�m back,� he said, when he was
halfway out the door.

�� I sent Fawkes to her the
moment you reappeared on school grounds.�

�� Snape nodded, looking as if he was going to say something
more.� But then he shook his head and
left the room, the deep black hem of his robe swirling behind him.

�� Dumbledore stood staring out the window of his study,
watching the sun inch tentatively over the horizon.� A few minutes later he heard a rustle of
feathers and wind as Fawkes flew in and landed on the
windowsill beside him.� The phoenix
crowed softly, tilting its head and regarding its obviously troubled master.

�� I worry about him, Fawkes.� I sometimes feel that I am killing him
slowly.�

�� The bird cooed and nuzzled his arm with its beak.

�� Perhaps if I had��well, let us not dwell on the
past.� It is already lost to us,� Dumbledore
mused, stroking the phoenix�s soft feathers.�
�I suppose this old man should get some sleep, too.�
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A Drop in the Ocean