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Torment Completed	By : Kvarta Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 31713 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling. This story is purely for entertainment purposes, no money is being made from it.

Chapter List
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A/N: I apologize for the long break, return to my work from vacation greeted me with tons of work and shortening of the deadlines. I’ll do my best to post more often, every two to three days, but I can’t promise for sure until I dig myself up from this insane work tempo >.<. I hope that you will accept my apology in form of slightly longer chapter.
I give you a bit of Poppy’s POV in this chapter, and yes, I’m aware that it will be a bit confusing as it should be at this point.
@BlackRose "And what was up with the kissing." - she is not kissing him, she is checking his fever like mother would to a small child :)
To avoid further confusion:
Italic - Past, memories
‘Single quotation mark’ - inner monologue, thoughts
“double quotation mark” - actual speech
Warning: Angst...I feel compelled to WARN you all. I know many of you like Hermione starting to fight back, but she is not yet balanced, and I guess that many of you won’t like her this way. So, I’ll leave this warning until she is ‘out of the woods’ so you may skip these chapters if it's not your cup of tea.
He is pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, the room is bathed in green light that reaches through the lake. The throbbing in his head is stronger by the minute, but anger keeps him pacing. This is worst than any other ordeal Albus put him through over the years.
It wasn’t enough that he had to conduct an inquiry in his house more than once. It wasn’t enough that he had to humiliate his students, their parents of whom many are...were his acquaintances, people he had to stay in contact and good relation. It wasn’t enough that he had to prevent disaster created by Potter, he is sure that Potter had something with that unfortunate fireworks before Christmas holidays. That his storage was plundered and he had to conduct yet another inquiry among his students, wish as he may pin this on them but Potter and Weasley were in the classroom during the theft.
For months he tried every approach he could think off to figure out who plundered his ingredients, and who brewed that blasted potion. For that, however, he turned to his NEWTS students, but until today they stayed lip-locked. However, someone did brew the Polyjuice Potion and somehow that know-it-all Gryffindor busy-body managed to turn herself into a cat...a CAT...no less! It took him weeks to brew the antidote. And he got himself scolded from Poppy for laughing his ass off when he saw her. A fitting punishment, indeed, he hopes she learned her lesson.
The only good thing that happened this year was that excuse of a Dueling club, but it was poor satisfaction. Fine, he knows why he can’t get the DADA post, but he wonders if Albus really wants to teach those kids anything? First Quirrell, now Lockhart! Ever since Potter showed up the quality and capability of professors to transfer knowledge on the subject declined dwindled to nothing. The boy is bound to be hunted and attacked either by former Death Eaters or Dark Lord himself, shouldn’t he get a quality education? But now, the old man went a step too far! Old fart! He will reconsider!
„Well, I might reconsider as well!“ he growls at his reflection in the window and recommence pacing
If Dumbledore puts health and lives of students in the hands of that...imbecile...cretin...good-for-nothing self-in loved-buffoon...he quits. They can ship him to Azkaban, for all he cares they can portkey him directly to the Dementors arms.
He jumps when he hears scratching...he opens the door and grey cat slips in.
„Minerva now is not the time to be playful.“
„I am not playful, Severus, I am out of my mind from worry...“ she is in human form again, and her face is stern and worried
„What did Potter do now?“
„How do you know it is Potter?“ he has an edge in her voice
„You have ’the Potter’ face, I’ve seen it enough times to know. Apart from that, it is always Potter if you turn to me.“
„Harry and Ron went with Lockhart, they found the entrance to Chamber of Secrets and went there...and that poor Weasley girl...can you talk to Albus? Maybe he will listen to you.“
He smirks, either Minerva has a twisted sense of humour or too much faith in his ability to influence the old manipulator. Albus knows how incapable Lockhart is.
„Minerva, I’d love to help you, but I have my doubts that Albus is not quite rational when Lockhart is a concern. I can’t even persuade him to let me brew the antidote for Petrified students! He seriously considering letting Lockhart dealing with that!“
„You can’t be serious!“
„Oh, I am. I went told him today that Mandrake is ripe and ready to be used, he told me that he will notify me if he needs my services. I very much doubt he would listen to me.“
„But the boys...“
„They are lost without the girl, I know. We can only hope that they will have more luck than they have brains.“ He sounds bitter
„Severus, must you?“
„What? Must I what, Minerva? Be realistic? I know you love your students, but surely even you know that pair of them are not the sharpest of the bunch.“
She sighs and gives one of her sharp looks, but does not press the matter anymore.
„Can you at least brew the potion? Regardless of what he says?“
„And what do you think I’m doing now?“ he sneered at Minerva, she may be the last person who deserves that but she is also the only one nearby „I will use his ’absence’ if I must, but I won’t allow for students to be poisoned on top of being Petrified.“
„Thank you, Severus. I know that there are no students from your house...“
„We have half-bloods Minerva, more than any other house in the school.“ He snaps „Students from my house are just obedient enough not to break the rules.“ He knows that is an obvious lie, they are mischievous as the rest of them, they just happen to be more cunning and they know how to avoid detection.
„As far as I remember, Mr Malfoy was in detention last year...“
„Yes, and I can guarantee you, Mr Malfoy won’t make that mistake again“ another lie, the boy is bordering on reckless and he will have to teach him this summer, teach him how to be stealth.
„I do not know why are you so loyal to Albus,“ she is switching the topic again „but I am grateful that we have you in our school. I’ll keep you informed, look for my owl or Filch’s cat.“ She shifts back to her animal form and he lets her out.
Hell of a parting gift, his angry thoughts are sidetracked to more painful ones. Why is he loyal to Albus, indeed? He is not. The old man is someone who he can’t stand, he is trapped, he cannot leave him, chained by the court’s rule, by his own promise, by the constant reminder of his guilt and his crime. Every day, spent in this school is a torture, every moment spent in Old man’s company is a reminder of his wrong decisions, but more so...why did he made them in the first place. This school is his personal hell, and Albus is keen on keeping his memory of Lily alive. Pain constrict his chest. He is frozen, frozen in time.
He blinks steadying his erratic breathing. They marvelled his ability not to break under pressure, what a sham, they don’t know, you cannot break what is already broken, broken beyond repair. That pain, the same pain he felt for years, every time he saw Albus, every time he walked the halls with a ghost of her memory following him every step of the way.
The girl is awake, he can hear her breathing and the crackling of the couch. He closes his eyes and steadies his breathing, pretending to be asleep. Bed bends, she is next to him, her voice is a quiet whisper.
„I am so sorry, for what I’ve done. I didn’t know you made a healing potion for me. I should have but I didn’t, I was just hoping that Poppy made it. But, I guess you made every potion we ever received in the hospital...“ she trails off
’Damn straight I did.’
„I have a confession to make, and I hope that one day I’ll be able to tell you this properly...“
’What now?’ he would roll his eyes but he resists, movement of the eyelids may betray him
„...you see, I made the potion. I put up Ron and Harry to cause the havoc in potions class so I could steal the ingredients. I made it in the Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. And I took the wrong hair from Pansy’s robes. But, you see, we had to find out…to gain access to Slytherin and see who is the heir of Salazar Slytherin.”
‘Yes, because he had to be from my house.’ he thinks bitterly
“We were sure, you may laugh at me, if you do laugh at all that is…, but we were sure that Draco Malfoy is the heir…” she chuckles quietly “silly of up, I know.”
‘You have no idea how much. Draco was scared shitless that entire year. Not that you could know that with all his bravado.’
“I am truly sorry about that potion thing.“ Her voice fades again
He is fuming, he could address the issue now, scold her for what she’s done. That is a NEWTS level potion, she could have poisoned them all! But if he reacts now he will betray that he is awake. He knows that this admission is good for the girl, it puts the burden off her chest...but, she stole from him and brewed dangerous monitored potion, illegally. He is also impressed. The level of skill she had in her second year was even beyond what he saw in her as a potential.
’Don’t be an idiot, skilled or not, she broke the rules.’
She did break the rules, she stole and she made the potion, but the way she’s done it impresses him. He would expect plan elaborate like that from his Slytherins but not from bushy-haired little prude like she was then. ’Well done, Granger.’ He congratulates her silently, and that is the only admiration for her skills she would get from him. Still, the matter remains, he cannot press her about what he heard, so he will have to trick her into a confession when he is ’awake’ and then level her with the ground for what she’s done.
She leans over him and brushes the hair from his face. ’Again with the touching!’ the anger rises again ’Oh no, Granger, your little tricks won't work on me.’ He growls in his head and pretends to stir in his sleep. She backs away from him and the bed. He can breath easier now. He hates her, hates himself as well, hates that persistent, never-ending pain in his chest, hates the tingling of his skin on the face.
’You have to hold on, endure just a little bit longer, it will be all over soon.’
~ S ~ S ~ S ~
„Did I or did I not told both of you that Severus needs to rest?“ Poppy is angry
„You did Matron, I am so sorry,“ Hermione whispers, her eyes are locked on the floor. Severus is stubbornly silent and looking through the window.
Snow finally came last night, covering the ground and chilling the air. She knows that both of them going to miss this year's Yule Ball, New Year and every other holiday. She narrows her eyes and looks one that the other. Tension between them is palatable, so thick you can cut it with the knife
„Severus, are you giving a hard time to Miss Granger?“
„No more than you’d expect.“ He mumbles still gazing out the window
„And why is that?“
„You bloody well know why and stop pestering me, woman.“ He snaps
„Don’t you raise your voice at me, young man! I am not one of your students and you can’t intimidate me.“
He turns to look at her and her heart sinks, his eyes are full of pain. Miss Granger’s eyes are also full of pain. It is not the pain she can heal, even if she wants she doesn't know how.
Door open and Lucius steps in the room. Severus relaxes, Miss Granger tenses up. But the tension reaches new levels. Lucius looks relaxed, almost too relaxed. She sighs
„Severus, I am expecting from you to allow Miss Granger to do her work, she is here on my insistence to take care of you.“
„You had no right to inflict her on me.“ He growls at her „It invade...“
„She is as any other nurse would be.“
„She is a pest, not to mention my student.“
„She is not your student.“ She is stern, she has to be. Miss Granger is standing quietly next to her, her eyes still locked on the floor, crimson in the face. Lucius has a little smile at the corner of his lips. She did expect a bit of animosity between Severus and the girl, but this went beyond what she expected. Neither of them was that unreasonable, no matter how uncomfortable situation might be. She glares at Lucius.
„Well, is if that is all...“
„Ummm....“
„Yes, Miss Granger?“
„Sna...ummm...Professor had an outburst of uncontrolled magic the other day and...well...it seems that his memories are connected to his emotional state.“ the girl glances at Severus and he scoffs at her in attempt of silent intimidation, her face tightens but stubborn almost angry look breaks through and she continues more firmly „There were almost no dreams at one point, but now they appear whenever he fells asleep. Also, I am not affected by them like before....ummm...if he is asleep and I’m awake I don’t feel compelled to sleep as well.“
„And how do you feel if he sleeps and dreams and you do not?“
„Ummm, well those are not dreams, Matron. Dreamless Sleep doesn’t work on them, those are memories... As for your question, I feel just the same, maybe a slight discomfort if he is too much upset about something.“
Lucius chuckles quietly, Hermione appears as she didn’t hear but Severus glares at him with an angry dark gaze.
„That is to be expected, Miss Granger. If there is nothing else...Lucius, come, let me look at you while I’m here.“
„Poppy, I have my healer, but if you could provide me...“
„Lucius! Out of my patient's room. You are going to be checked out, no complaining.“
She notices that Severus sent one sneer with the gleam in his eyes to Lucius, she resists shaking her head... Those two, they still act like little boys. They cross the hallway and she observes Lucius’s limp, it is more pronounced now that weather is cold. They enter his study room and she snaps at him
„Lucius Malfoy, what did you do?“
„Me Poppy? Nothing.“ He looks at her half insulted half innocent and she frowns
„Don’t you give me that, I know you.“
„Honestly, I didn’t do a thing, it is all of their makings...“
„You just used the opportunity for your own amusement!“
„Well, it might give the push in the right direction...“
„It did give the push...in the opposite direction. The girl is unbalanced and Severus is still suicidal.“
„He can’t do a thing with little miss prissy at his tail.“
„He can still do plenty. I patched up that boy more times from what he inflicted on himself than anything else. And your attitude does not help!“
„He is free Poppy, finally free, he’ll come around.“
„He is damaged beyond mine or yours ability to repair him.“
„But that impertinent child might?“ he is angry, insulted and she can understand that, but he has to stop amusing himself and start working with her
„You know the answer to that as well as I do.“ She scolds him „Now, why the girl doesn't have permission to walk around the house?“
„Because I don’t want her roaming through my  home.“ He sneers
„You know she has to! So, you give her the permission, find the way to make it happen, or...I’ll see to it that you personally give her the grand tour before you tear down half of your home.“
„Do not threaten me, Poppy.“
„I am warning you, Lucius, we had a deal, now...you either work with me or I’ll pull both of them out of here.“ She is unfazed by his threats and angry at him, she should have known, that boy is a too much of a opportunistic prankster to be well behaved in this situation „Miss Granger’s methods are good for him, he recuperates better and faster than I predicted, and it is all thanks to Miss Granger’s methods.“
„Does he now, all I see that he is miserable.“
„He is miserable because he is finally facing his pain. And if you want to see him live through it...you will work with me.“
„I want her out of my home, Poppy. Out of his vicinity...“ he growls „She did unforgivable, she invaded his privacy in a way that is criminal. Every man has a right to his own secrets!“ he snaps and words, bitter and angry pour out off him
„Be that as it may, you know why and what has to be done. Your own personal feelings have no place in the matter.“
His shoulders slack, she knows he will do as he supposed to do, after all, he does care for Severus. She also knows him better than he thinks. This is just jealousy talking, the feeling of being robbed of the closeness he shared with Severus. No, Lucius certainly does not like feeling being replaced.
„Now, let me see it...“ she changes the subject, and turns to examine his injuries.
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Torment *Completed*

Torment Completed