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Lendoren	By : septentrion Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 19648 -:- 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.

Chapter List
- 40
- 41
- 42
Disclaimer: the characters belong to Jo, the story to kelokelo, the translation to septentrion and the betaing to vonHardenberg. He�s done a wonderful job on this story.

Chapter 41. Return To The Castle

Day by day, Hermione grew stronger. One week after her awakening, she was able to get out of the chalet. She�d been alarmed when she knew that she�d been out for four weeks, that the holidays were over and that her friends had already gone back to their classes at Hogwarts. She wanted to give up her studies when she knew she would have to be subjected to Umbridge�s teaching once more, but Severus forbade it.

�You can�t possibly not take your NEWTs, my dear. Firstly, because I don�t want you to blame me in a few years, and secondly, because I have no intention of letting Umbridge have free rein over you and your studies.�

�What are you going to do? Deny everything? There�s no sense in that, Erwin!�

�I certainly won�t deny my relationship with you. I refuse to deny that I am happy with you, and I don�t care about Hogwarts rules on that matter. There are hardly three months left before you finish your schooling, they won�t bother me for such a small amount of time. Arlin has left a lot of notes according to Malko. I�m going to give the Minister a good talking to and remind him of what he owes us. But for now, let�s not think about it. Let�s grant ourselves two weeks off before we go back to Hogwarts.�

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When Hermione woke up the next day, she didn�t recognise where she was at first. They had fallen asleep in their armchair the previous night, but Severus had woken up in the middle of the night and had carried her to their bed so that they would be more comfortable. However, what had woken her up was not the change of location but sharp knocks at the window. They were made by Harry�s owl, Hedwig. Hermione knew they would have no peace until she let the bird come into the chalet. She silently got up and let some fresh air enter the room with the bird. This was the cause of the grumbling that came from under the covers.

�Who is the imbecile who sends their owl so early in the morning?�

�It�s Hedwig, Harry�s owl.�

�Oh, no. He�s after me, even when I�m in my bed and he�s in Hogwarts.�

�Erwin, there are troubles there.�

�Hermione, that is obvious: Ron and Harry have to do their homework without you. I�m sure they�re asking you the answers they can�t find by themselves. Well, that�s too much. I�ll have a word with them when we go back to Hogwarts.�

�Erwin, would you stop thinking of them as children? Read the letter, it�s also addressed to you,� Hermione replied, furiously. �Then, you get dressed. We�re going back to Hogwarts straight away.�

Severus shot her a dark look while she threw the letter on his belly. He took his time to read it.

Hermione, Erwin,
I�m forced to write to you because I, or rather we, have problems with the toad. I�m writing this letter after my fifth detention of the week with her, and the fourth together with Ron and Ginny. It�s now a quarter to midnight, and we�began at eight. I sincerely wonder how Ron and I will pass our NEWTs if we don�t sleep more, and if we don�t train to get the hang of the non-verbal spell. And yes, Erwin, I�m going to take a stroll to the Owlery under my Invisibility Cloak to send this letter to you.
I hope you�re both well.
Harry.

Severus immediately understood that, with or without his agreement, Hermione would go back to Hogwarts. Harry hadn�t told what he got his detention for, but this kind of detention was inappropriate on the final year of a student, whatever wrong said student had done. He sighed, but got up. Hermione, looking furious, was using spells to pack her belongings. She had already donned her Hogwarts uniform. He got dressed while she was hopping up and down with impatience. He grabbed her shoulders.

�Hermione?�

�Come on, hurry!�

�Wait a minute, Hermione. First, we�re going to meet the Minister and have him to repeal that educational decree. Isn�t this better?�

Severus was careful, before they Apparated to the Ministry, to warn Dumbledore about his actions. The Headmaster agreed to join him. Without further ado, he Apparated with Hermione to the entrance hall of the Ministry. The guard was astonished and couldn�t pull himself together quickly enough to prevent them from going through the door leading to the myriads of corridors of the building, and to the Minister�s office. Severus didn�t even knock at the door and went into the Minister�s office unannounced.

�Who dares ��

The Minister didn�t finish his sentence.

�Minister,� Severus said in a silky voice, �I know you are a very busy man. I myself don�t have much time, so I will get straight to the point: you repeal every one of your stupid educational decrees and I leave your office right away.�

�To repeal � but � how dare you demand it of me? You, who have knowingly violated Hogwarts rules? You should ��

Severus interrupted him softly. �How long are you going to leave the castle in its current state, exposed open to all weathers, a free Apparition zone, Plottable, and whose foundations will be undermined by the lake waters within three months?�

�How � how do you know all of this?� the Minister stammered, more sullen at the minute.

�Have you forgotten that I am a Lendoren myself, Minister? I can feel the castle defences better than anyone here, except for my companion of course. After a short visit at Hogwarts, I can tell you that three spells at least are missing on top of the ones Albus probably told you about.�

�But then, you can rebuild those spells!�

�I think I am powerful enough, indeed.�

�What are you waiting for? Another attack from the Death Eaters?�

Severus didn�t answer but stared at him with a very Slytherin smile. He had a trump card in his hand. The Minister knew it and dreaded the deal Severus was going to propose him. The Slytherin Head of House wouldn�t help him for nothing. It would cost him a lot.

�What do you want for rebuilding the defences as they should be?� he asked abruptly to Severus.

Before he answered, Severus took his time to recollect everything he wanted to ask.

�First, Minister, I want you to know that I can�t rebuild all the defences alone. I will do it with my companion. She herself is unable to do it alone. We must share our strength to do it.�

�I don�t get to hear other points of view on this subject, I suppose?�

�Of course. There�s no other Lendoren couple who is as powerful as we are.�

His tone was soft, without irony. Severus knew he was treading dangerous waters. If he drove the Minister in a corner, the result would be worse.

�I�ll repeat my question. What do you want?�

�I want the Educational Decrees to be repealed. I want to be reinstated as a teacher for whatever subject Professor Dumbledore would think fit to give me. I want all of this to happen now. If you would just hand to me such documents signed by you, we will rebuild the defences as soon as the NEWTs results are known. At that time, Hermione should have regained her physical and magical strength. She�s regained conscience only a week ago, after four weeks between life and death.�

�What if I don�t sign?� the Minister retorted, outraged.

�I�m going out right away, and we won�t rebuild Hogwarts defences. Not even under duress.�

The Minister was flabbergasted.

�That�s blackmail!�

�No, that�s an exchange of courtesies, if I may say so,� Dumbledore spoke from the doorway. �You want something he�s the only one who can give it, he wants something that only you can do. It will only cost you a bit of pride, that�s all.�

�But ��

�Minister, what you�re asking for is tremendous, and you know it. If the task wasn�t that colossal, the Ministry�s employees or myself would have been able to take care of it. What he�s asking of you is nothing in comparison. All the more, if they hadn�t infringed upon the rules, they�d never have reached that symbiosis which has led to the Dictator�s death. I was yielding to Voldemort when Harry took him by surprise. I would never have held my ground more than two minutes in front of the Dictator�s horrors. They have more than held their ground; they have vanquished him, and nearly died in the process. You have awarded the Order of Merlin First Class for less than that.�

The Minister pondered the situation inwardly. He sombrely gazed at the Headmaster. He knew not to expect help from him. Snape had promised to rebuild Hogwarts defences with Hermione Granger, and what he was asking for in exchange was reasonable compared with the risks still existing, due to some Death Eaters still being free. If another attack occurred, with casualties as a result, and if public opinion learnt it was because he�d been wrongly obstinate about a natural and destined-to-last relationship, he would have to say �good-bye� to his current job.

�Give me a parchment,� he dryly told Dumbledore.

He quickly wrote his agreement to Severus� conditions and held it out to the latter, but not without looking daggers at him.

�That�s what you want?�

Severus took the time to carefully read the parchment. Everything was written down; he was going to win.

�Exactly, Minister,� he finally said calmly, and held the parchment out to the Headmaster.

The Minister signed the decree, rage burning in his eyes.

�I�ll visit the castle after the NEWTs results are known, Snape!�

�Rest assured that we�ll be waiting for you. You have my word.�

Severus knew he now had one more enemy, but he didn�t care. He nodded, but was flabbergasted when he felt a violent draught in the room scattering and mixing the Minister�s files.

�You should be careful, Minister,� Hermione said in an even tone. �Your office is full of draughts, that�s not good for your health.�

Severus and Dumbledore nearly lost their composure when they saw the Minister�s face and hurried to follow Hermione who had already left. Then, they Apparated together to Hogwarts.

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On this Sunday morning, there were many students in the corridors, and whisperings rose on their way to the Headmaster�s office. Soon, the whole castle rustled with a rumour, which reached the ears of Ginny, Ron and Harry in the Gryffindor common room: Hermione Granger was back. She was thinner and accompanied by the Headmaster and the formidable Potions Master. They exchanged a relieved glance: the couple must have received the letter brought to them by Hedwig and acted accordingly. Honestly, as a teacher, Erwin was unbearable, but, in spite of his sarcasms, his lessons were real lessons. And they received better marks at their OWLs exams than in his classroom, which proved his efficiency as a teacher.

When they reached the gargoyle that guarded the entrance of the Headmaster�s office, Hermione abruptly stopped.

�Professor Dumbledore, you�re going to discuss which position Severus will be given, aren�t you?�

�Indeed, Miss Granger.�

�So, you don�t need me?�

Professor Dumbledore had a fleeting smile and simply told her, �Please, greet Harry, Ron and Ginny for me!�

She beamed at Severus and turned to join her friends. She went through the corridors full of students, for the rumour had widely spread throughout Hogwarts, and everybody wanted to see with their own eyes the freshly returned Gryffindor girl. The bolder ones asked her questions; some of them were really indiscreet and had Hermione blush, but she limited herself with saying that she was going to Gryffindor Tower to see Harry, Ron and Ginny. When she entered through the Fat Lady�s portrait, who was so emotional that she didn�t even asked for the password, she noticed that it was partially damaged thanks to the Dictator. Only a half of the common room remained, to complicate the matter of their not completely rebuilt dormitories. She keenly felt the castle�s lack of defences. Conversations came to a halt when she entered the room, but she soon found herself engulfed in Harry�s, Ron�s and Ginny�s embraces.

The silence that had followed her entry was suddenly broken by timid applause, which soon became an indescribable din. If some one had come into the common room at that moment, they would have thought that the Gryffindors had just won the Quidditch cup once more. Hermione felt tears appear in her eyes: it looked like her House was behind her. The other students were all the more certain that she�d remained the same, old Hermione when she asked if the new Potions teacher, Malko Lynch, and the new Charms teacher, Filick Salvage, were competent. Harry answered her, �Honestly, Hermione, the air is now breathable in the dungeons. I feel like I work as hard as before with Lynch, the difference being he doesn�t inflict his sarcasms upon us.�

Hermione grinned.

�Good! It�ll be easier to work in Potions.�

The other Gryffindors were relieved to hear this remark; it proved that Hermione wouldn�t defend her companion at all costs.

�No, no, no, you won�t have me say that he has a golden disposition,� she said ironically. �He has the same character, but I make do. I even think that my own stubbornness has helped me not to be trampled.�

Everyone in the common room burst out laughing at that explanation.

�Well, what about Professor Salvage in Charms?�

Shadows crossed the students� faces. Each of them regretted the tiny Professor Flitwick, Charms master, fallen under the Unforgivable Curse of a Death Eater.

�He�s as good as Flitwick, but he still struggles to explain things,� Harry answered, smiling. �But he, at least, takes the trouble to explain twice or more when he feels that we haven�t understood.�

�All right, Harry. No need to twist the knife in the wound,� Hermione said, scowling, before she realised that she would face a lot of teasing of that sort in the weeks to come. As long as they weren�t more vicious, she could live with them. She sighed, but half-smiled nonetheless.

�Come on, Hermione. Everyone here accepts your relationship with him, even though no one knows what you see in him, well, apart from his physical appearance according to the girls. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw will be harder to deal with, but the Slytherin will give you a hard time.�

�I don�t think they will try anything, Harry, and if they do, I swear they will learn how to fly from the top of Hogwarts towers.�

The glint in her eyes had a harsh quality.

�I didn�t choose. He didn�t choose. That�s how the Lendoren companionship works. But our magic isn�t wrong. We are, despite appearances to the contrary, despite all our quarrels�which are probably worse than anything that you can imagine�really made for each other. And he�s definitively a more competent teacher than Umbridge.�

�But, how will you do, what with your studies, and him being a teacher?� a voice, which clearly preferred to remain anonymous, asked.

�We � we�ll find a way,� Hermione said in a decided voice. �In the meanwhile,� she went on, turning her attention to Harry, Ron and Ginny, �I must go to the Hospital Wing to meet with Madam Pomfrey. Will you come with me?�

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MB 3: Thank you. I wish you the best for your final.

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