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Black Roses	By : BlackDawnRose Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 16093 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters only this plot, no money is being made from this story

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Hi, so here’s the newest instalment of Black Roses. For those who have been asking no there won’t be an argument between Harry and Ron yet, but some of his behaviour will be explained. I hope you enjoy it :)
Feelings and lots of them
Harry walked into the library ten minutes later with Pansy, Theo and Draco, a plate of food in his hands for Hermione. When he’d arrived back at the hall Ron was already gone and since he wasn’t sure where the other boy was, he’d headed back to the library. Blaise was still sitting at the table but he was the only one.
“Where are the others?” Harry asked.
“Weasley stormed in here a few minutes ago and demanded to talk to Granger. They headed outside and I haven’t seen them since,” Blaise replied, accepting the plate of food Draco held out to him with a grateful smile.
Harry exchanged a concerned look with Pansy and was wondering if he should go and look for his friends when he heard yelling coming from outside the library. He headed to the door to see what was going on and found Ron screaming at Hermione from down the hall, while the girl just stood there with tears in her eyes.
“How the hell can you do this to me, Hermione? Don’t you care about me? What about my feelings?” He yelled.
“Of course I care, Ron, I’m not doing this to hurt you,” Hermione argued back.
“Then why? Come on, Hermione tell me why. Why are you doing this?” Ron demanded angrily.
“Because I didn’t think it was fair to carry on like this anymore. What would you rather me do, Ron? Pretend that everything’s okay when it’s not? What good would that do us? It would just be living a lie,” Hermione cried as tears started falling from her eyes.
“Oh don’t pretend like this is hurting you!” Ron snarled. “It’s me who’s having my heart ripped out! It’s me who’s being told I’m not good enough. Don’t you dare act like this is painful for you!”
“Ron,” Hermione said quietly.
“No, that’s it! Get the hell away from me, I never want to see you again!” the redhead screamed, storming off down the corridor. “I hope you burn in hell, Hermione!”
The girl only stood there for another few moments before taking off in the opposite direction. Harry looked at Draco concerned. “I guess we know what was wrong with Ron earlier,” he said.
“Maybe,” Draco replied. “Are you going to go after him or her?”
Harry thought about it. He had a better chance of finding out what happened from Hermione than Ron and until he calmed down he’d just want to rant and throw things so he was best left alone. “Her,” he replied before heading down the corridor Hermione had taken.
It didn’t take him long to find her, sitting in a quiet corridor near a large window, with her head in her hands, crying. He slid down beside her, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder. She tensed slightly, most likely in surprise, before leaning her head on his shoulder and sobbing.
“What happened?” he asked when her sobs seemed to be decreasing.
“I told him we couldn’t be together anymore,” she replied, sitting up and wiping her eyes with her hand. Harry picked up a leaf that was lying on the ground near them.He cast a cleaning charm on it before transfiguring it into a handkerchief and handing it to her. She took it from him gratefully and wiped at her eyes once more.
“What happened?” Harry asked concerned.
“I don’t love him, Harry,” Hermione explained. “I thought I did and I wish I did but I don’t. Not the way he wants me to anyway.” She shook her head as more tears fell. “You know, I didn’t see this coming. I should have but I didn’t and I can’t believe…” she trailed, off an angry sigh escaping her lips.
“See what coming?” Harry asked softly.
Hermione wiped at her eyes again and turned to study him, a vulnerable look in her eyes. “Promise you won’t hate me.”
“What?” Harry asked confused, “Hermione why would I hate you?”
“Just promise me,” Hermione all but begged through her tears.
“All right, I promise,” Harry agreed, still confused as hell.
Hermione looked at him for another few moments before saying. “I’m gay, Harry. I can’t love Ron like that because he’s a man.”
“Oh.” It wasn’t the most eloquent reply, but it was all that came to mind right at that moment.
Hermione stood up and took a few steps away from him. “I can’t believe this is happening to me,” she said exasperated, throwing her hands up in the air before bringing them down to grip the front of her hair. “I was fine before, you know, I was happy I was in love and then…” she trailed off, a sob escaping her before she whirled around to face Harry once more. “I was all set. I was going to marry Ron I was going to have a family and a happy life; I never wanted this to happen. People say ignorance is bliss but I never believed them until now. I could have lived the rest of my life happily oblivious but … but then … then I saw her, standing there with nothing on and I … I realised that what I felt for Ron wasn’t what it was supposed to be. I’ve always cared for him, but I’ve never wanted him like that. And I tried to ignore it, I tried to forget about it but I couldn’t and it just got worse until I couldn’t even stand him touching me anymore.” She stopped talking then and walked over to the window to look outside, hugging herself.
“I couldn’t do it anymore, Harry, I couldn’t keep lying to myself or him … do you think I did the wrong thing?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“No,” Harry replied honestly, rising to his feet and moving over to stand next to her. “You’re right, it would have been wrong to keep lying to him, you did the right thing by telling him the truth.”
“I just feel so awful,” Hermione sobbed.
“Of course you do. You’re only human, Hermione, you’re bound to feel something. If you didn’t I’d think you’d turned into a Vulcan,” he said, knowing Hermione would understand the reference. The girl let out a huff of laughter before more tears fell from her eyes. “This doesn’t make you a bad person, don’t feel like it does because it doesn’t, it just makes you human.”
Hermione gave him a grateful smile before leaning into him. They were silent for a moment before he asked. “Do you mind my asking who …?” he trailed off, leaving the question open and knowing she’d know what he was asking
Hermione hesitated, “I don’t know if I should say,” she replied cautiously.
“I promise you it can’t be more shocking than who I’m in love with,” Harry reassured her.
Hermione turned to him, a look of curious shock on her face. “Who?” she demanded.
“Uh uh, you first,” Harry replied slyly.
Hermione stared at him for a moment before saying, “Ginny.”
“Ah,” Harry said with a nod.
“But it’s not that I’m in love with her particularly, I just … seeing her body like that made me realise I was more attracted to the female form than the male,” she explained.
Harry nodded; he could understand what she meant.
“She’s going to hate me now,” she said sadly, tears beginning to fall once more. “They’re all going to hate me now. They’re the closest thing I have to family now aside from you and they’ll never forgive me,” she sobbed.
“It’ll be okay,” he reassured her. “I’ll talk to them all right, I’ll explain what’s happening. I’m sure they’ll understand your side of the story.”
“Thank you,” Hermione whispered appreciatively.
“That’s okay,” Harry replied, rubbing her arm comfortingly. “Are you going to tell Ginny?” he asked.
“What? That she turned me gay or at least made me realise I was? No,” Hermione replied sternly. “She’s already going to be livid at me for breaking her brother’s heart, if I tell her I realised I was gay by seeing her naked she’ll freak out and our friendship will never recover. She’s my best, female friend; I don’t want to risk that.”
“She might not react as badly to what’s going on as you think,” Harry suggested.
“She’s Ron’s sister, of course she will,” Hermione disagreed.
“She might not. You and Ginny are friends and I think you would have been even if Ron didn’t exist. Don’t write off your friendship just yet, wait and see what she actually has to say about it first, okay,” Harry asked.
“All right,” Hermione agreed, cuddling into Harry and resting her head on his shoulder.
“When did you see Ginny naked by the way?” He asked after a few moments of silence.
“At the start of the year,” Hermione replied. “We were trying out a spell and it went a little wrong,” she explained.
“Ah,” Harry said with a nod.
Again there was silence before Hermione said. “Harry.”
“Hmm,”
“Who are you in love with and why haven’t you told me?” she asked quietly, without looking up.
“I haven’t told you because I know you’re going to freak out about it,” Harry replied. “As for who it is, you have to swear on the binding of your favourite book that you won’t tell anyone, promise?” he asked.
“Okay,” Hermione agreed softly, without hesitation. “Who is it?”
“Snape,” Harry replied, expecting Hermione to jump up and immediately start peppering him with questions.
He wasn’t prepared for the quiet reply of, “Oh … yeah that makes sense,” that left her mouth instead.
“Really?” he asked. “That’s it?”
Hermione let out a small hum of laughter. “He’s a good looking man, Harry, strong, intelligent, confident, and you’ve spent a lot of time alone with him over the last few years. It’s really not that surprising when you think about it,” she replied.
“If you say so,” Harry replied. “I’m just glad you’re not freaking out about it.”
“It’s not anybody else’s business who you love, Harry, it’s entirely up to you. Besides, me freaking out after what I just told you would be a major case of the pot calling the kettle black don’t you think?” Hermione asked.
“But you’re okay with this? You’re not having a heart attack mentally and just not telling me?” Harry asked, knowing that really didn’t make any sense but that Hermione would find it funny.
Hermione chuckled. “No, no mental heart attacks here,” she assured him.
“Good,” Harry replied.
“Does he know?” Hermione asked.
“Yeah, since yesterday,” Harry replied honestly.
“What did he say?” Hermione asked.
“He’s going to let me spend some time with him until the year’s over so we can get to know each other. Then, when I’m not a student anymore and he’s not my professor we’ll see what happens. We can’t do anything until then, rules and all that.” Harry replied.
Hermione nodded. “So how’s it going so far?” she asked, sitting up so she could look at him.
“It’s great,” Harry replied with a smile. “I mean it’s only been a day really, but we spent almost all of last night just talking and it was nice, really nice, I enjoyed it.”
Hermione studied him with a raised eyebrow. “You just talked?” she asked in a tone that told him she didn’t believe him at all.
“Yes we just talked,” Harry replied, giving the girl a playful glare. “You know what Snape is like with rules, he doesn’t bend them for anything.”
“That’s true,” Hermione agreed with a grin. “So when are you going to see him again?” she asked.
“Monday night,” Harry replied. “If anyone asks he’s giving me extra lessons again.”
“And what will you really be doing?” she asked suggestively.
“We’ll be talking,” Harry replied, adding, “Draco will be there,” when she looked like she still didn’t believe him.
“Draco?” she asked curiously “Why?”
Harry looked at her sheepishly. “Yeah, there are a couple of things I need to tell you,” he said, receiving a confused and slightly annoyed look from the brunette.
“What?” she asked.
Harry told her about recent events, leaving out the parts about the spell on Severus. He mentioned that he’d asked Draco to help him win Snape over and suggested the truce between them. He mentioned how they’d planned to ease everyone into it and how close they’d started to feel since that first day. When he was finished Hermione was staring at him in more shock than she’d had on her face when he told her about Severus.
“Are you serious?” she asked shocked.
“Yeah I am. I don’t know, Hermione it’s like I belong with them. I feel so at home when I’m with them, even more than I do when I’m with the Weasleys, well mostly anyway” Harry explained.
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked.
“Well, you remember when I said there were a few people I’d felt that kind of connection with before Draco and Severus but not many?” he asked. Hermione nodded. “Well one of those people was Ginny,” Harry explained, “I’ve always felt a brotherly connection to her, more than I have with any of the other Weasleys. Originally I thought it was because she was the youngest and I always felt as if I needed to protect her because of that. But now that I think about it, I’ve realised that I feel the same way about you.”
The look of shock was back on Hermione’s face with a vengeance. “Me?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes, I’ve always felt a stronger attachment to you than Ron. I’ve never been able to explain it but it’s always been true. It’s like he’s a friend but you’re family, that’s all I can explain it as. Don’t you feel something like that too?” Harry asked.
He saw Hermione stop and think about it for a minute. Suddenly her eyes widened and she looked up at Harry in shock. “Oh my god I do, I’d never even thought about it until now.”
“Exactly,” Harry replied.
“So what does it mean?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Harry replied. “But I guess we’ll find out eventually, that’s usually how mysteries work around here.”
Hermione nodded. “I guess so,” she agreed.
They sat in silence for a while, both lost in their thoughts until Hermione asked. “What am I going to do about Ron and Ginny?”
Harry sighed, “I don’t know,” he replied. “But if I can tell Snape I’m in love with him and live I think you can tell Ginny you’ve broken up with her brother without suffering any sort of fatal wounding. As far as Ron goes we just have to give him time to get over it. Eventually he’ll come to his senses and realise that you did what was best for you both. Until then we’ll just have to give him space.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Hermione agreed, moving to rest her head on his shoulder once more.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get through this,” Harry reassured her, pressing a gentle kiss to her hair.
“Thank you,” Hermione replied softly.
XX
Hermione decided to hide in the room of requirement for the rest of the day, not wanting to see Ron or Ginny in the Gryffindor tower. Harry headed back to the library to get her bag and the books she’d wanted and took them up to her so she’d have something to study. He then headed back to his room to get a few things for himself so he could spend the afternoon in there with her and keep her company. At least that’s what he told her. That was still his ultimate plan, but there were a few things he wanted to do first.
He ran into Draco, Blaise, Theo and Pansy at the library and was surprised when Pansy was the first to ask him about Hermione. He told her Hermione would be okay and thanked her for her concern before gathering Hermione’s books together and taking them up to her. He then headed to the Gryffindor tower to look for Ron and Ginny. He found Ron up in the dorm and his conversation with him went about as well as Harry had expected it to.
Ron had yelled, ranted and raved. He’d accused Harry of being on Hermione’s side before raving about how Hermione was such a terrible person for doing this to him and how much he’d loved her. The end of their discussion was Ron accusing Harry of replacing him with Draco, since in his mind he was being replaced as everything, and telling him he never wanted to speak to him again. Eventually Harry had gotten out what he’d wanted to say and headed to the prefect’s room to get a few of his things, before leaving the dorm to look for Ginny.
She’d been a little more difficult to find, but eventually he had found her sitting out under a tree with a book. He guessed she was supposed to look like she was reading it, but he wasn’t fooled and when he reached the tree and sat down beside her, he saw the tears swimming in her eyes.
“Hi,” he greeted her quietly.
“Hi,” she greeted back looking down at her book.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, of course I am. I mean it’s not me who’s just broken up with someone, I have no reason to be upset right?” she asked sadly as a tear slipped from her eyes.
“Of course you’re allowed to be upset,” Harry replied. “He is your brother, you’re allowed to be upset for him.”
“It’s not that,” Ginny said quietly, shaking her head. “I mean if it were it would be okay because I’m supposed to feel bad for him. But it’s not that, and the fact that it’s not just makes me feel worse.”
“So what is it then? It’s okay you can tell me, I won’t judge you,” Harry reassured her.
Ginny looked up at him then and smiled just a little. “I know you wouldn’t. You’ve always been a good person, Harry, it’s why I’ve always loved you, even if it wasn’t the way my parents wanted me to.” She looked down again and sniffled slightly before taking a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiping her face with it. “I’m upset because it feels like I’ve lost her,” Ginny whispered. “Hermione is one of my best friends, I thought she’d marry Ron and become part of the family and it would mean I’d still get to see her after school finished but now … if she’s not with Ron she’ll have no reason to talk to me anymore once school’s over. I’ll never see her again, and it hurts, Harry, it really hurts,” Ginny sobbed. “And I know I should feel bad for Ron not for me, but I just can’t because I never thought he appreciated her enough anyway and I always expected her to go, I just hoped she wouldn’t and … and now Ron’s going to be an ass like he always is when he doesn’t get his way and he’s going to alienate you too and then I’ll never see you again either and I … I.”
Ginny’s sobs got the better of her and she flung herself into Harry’s arms, burying her face in his shoulder. Harry held her back running his fingers gently through her hair. “Ginny, it’s okay,” he reassured the sobbing girl. “It’s okay, calm down; it’s going to be all right.”
When she’d finally calmed down enough to listen to him he spoke. “First of all, Ron is going to try everything he can to alienate me from him and who knows, it might just work this time if he can’t get over himself and grow the hell up; but even if it does that’s not going to change anything between you and me. We’re family, Ginny, we’re always going to be family, nothing’s going to change that, all right,” he said sternly.
Ginny nodded and Harry spoke again. “Secondly, Hermione loves you. She wasn’t spending time with you because you were Ron’s sister, she was doing it because she wanted to and that’s not going to change just because she and Ron broke up. Hermione’s hiding up in the castle right now because she thinks you’re going to hate her for breaking up with Ron and she’s terrified that the rest of your family are going to hate her too. Does that sound like someone who’s going to stop speaking to you after school’s finished?”
Ginny pulled away and looked at Harry tearfully. “Really?” she asked.
“Yes really,” Harry replied. “Hermione cares about all of you; you’re the closest thing she has to a family, she’s not just going to stop talking to you because your brother isn’t a big part of her life anymore. As for me, well, come on, Ginny, you know I only befriended Ron for your mum,” Harry joked, eliciting a chuckle from the redhead. “Seriously, no one cooks better than her you must have noticed. Who’d voluntarily give that up?” Harry continued managing to get a few more chuckles out of the tearful girl.
She looked at him for a moment before leaning forward to hug him. “I do love you, Harry,” she said quietly.
“I love you too and I always will, don’t ever forget that,” Harry reassured the girl, drawing a warm smile from her in return. “Come on,” he said, rising to his feet and bringing her up with him. “Let’s go see Hermione and cheer her up a little.”
Ginny agreed and they headed back toward the castle. She stopped them a couple of times to pick some flowers for Hermione, but they were soon outside the room or requirement waiting for the door to appear. As soon as it did they stepped inside and saw Hermione, sitting in a stuffed leather couch with a book in her hands, staring tearfully at the fire currently burning in the heath in front of her. She didn’t look up when they entered so Harry called her name quietly to get her attention. As she turned to face him her gaze fell on Ginny and her eyes widened in surprise.
“Ginny,” she said the girls name quietly and the redhead moved quickly to her side, throwing her arms around the brunette as soon as she was close enough. Tears slipped from Hermione’s eyes as she slid her arms around Ginny in return holding the other girl back. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“No, don’t be,” Ginny replied, pulling back from the embrace and brushing the tears from the brunette’s face. “We’re friends and nothing’s going to change that, ever, I promise.”
Deciding to leave them alone for a while to talk Harry crept from the room, closing the door behind him and watching as it disappeared back into the wall. He made his way back downstairs and headed outside, moving quickly toward the forbidden forest. Once he was sure no one was watching him he slipped through the trees and headed for the clearing where Severus’ garden was located.
As he walked he thought back to all the work that had gone into making the garden during his fourth year. It had taken quite a bit of time and effort, but he’d had a fair deal of alone time at the start of the year with Ron not talking to him, much like now. When he wasn’t with Ron he’d been with Neville, who was great with plants, and it was him who showed Harry what he’d need to breed together to create the black roses as well as how to care for them. He, along with Hagrid and Dobby had helped Harry create the garden, although only Neville knew what he was growing in it. Creating the garden had been a welcome distraction from the shit storm his life had become that year and when it was finally finished he’d spend hours tending to his plants and ensuring they had everything they needed to grow up healthy and beautiful.
He’d bought bits and pieces during his Hogsmead trips and shrank them down so no one would see them, then taken them to his garden on his next visit. There was an archway, some chairs and a table, gardening tools. It had been Harry’s pride and joy for years, a garden entirely devoted to the man he’d grown to love and thanks to Neville and Dobby, it had survived during his absence the previous year and continued to flourish to this day. He’d been so happy when he’d come here after the battle and found the garden and the surrounding area untouched, he’d been worried that Voldemort may have found the garden while he was waiting in the forbidden forest for Harry and destroyed it. It was well protected and surrounded by as many wards as Harry could come up with so it should have been safe, but one could never be too cautious when it came to Voldemort.
Now he was in his last year at Hogwarts and once he left it may be a long time before he had a chance to see his garden again, so he was spending as much time in it this year as possible. His original plan had been to tend it until his final day at Hogwarts before leaving it to Severus, who he hoped would appreciate it and use it as an escape, as Harry had. Now Harry would get the chance to show Severus the garden himself and he was hoping that he and the potions master might get the chance to enjoy the garden together for a little while before the year ended.
He turned the last bend and his garden came into view. With a peaceful smile he made his way in for some quiet alone time
XX
It was early evening when Harry returned to the castle with a rose to send to Severus. He disguised it with magic so no one would see him with it until he reached the owlery, where he removed the disguises and attached a note and a small bottle to the bottom of the rose. He gave it to an owl who immediately took off in search of Severus. Harry left the owlery then and headed down to the room of requirement in search of the girls. He knew Severus wouldn’t be dining in the great hall that night; he never did on Sundays, so he hoped he’d enjoy the gift he’d sent to him in his chambers.
XX
Severus was just heading down to his room when the owl found him. A small smile spread across his face as he took the rose and attached items from the owl and headed down to his room with them. He strode inside and closed the door behind him, sealing it against intrusion before moving to his favourite chair in front of the fire place. He lit the fire with his wand and settled back comfortably before studying the rose more closely. The bottle that was attached to the bottom this time was about the height of his palm and about half the width. The liquid inside was a golden colour and when Severus removed the cork it smelled of honey and alcohol. There was a gold label on the front that said
“18 year old honey brandy”
Curious, Severus took a sip and was surprised to find that not only did it taste deliciously of caramel, it also warmed him to the very tips of his fingers with just one sip. Severus studied the liquid carefully and decided that he must acquire some more of it before turning his attention to the letter.
Dear Severus,
I have had quite the day today; it seems everybody needs me to be something different for them. I’ve been a pressure valve, a study partner, a sympathetic shoulder and a peacemaker to name just a few. I didn’t mind for the most part, but there was only one thing I really wanted to be today; Yours. I think I spent the majority of today thinking about you and yes, that included all the times I was doing my million other jobs. What can I say? You’re just so damn perfect.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you that last night was amazing! I know that will sound dirty to most people, but then again who cares, you and I know better. It was so lovely just sitting and talking with you like we did, it was a wonderful night and I’m looking forward to more like it in the future. I know you won’t be down in the dining hall tonight for dinner, that’s okay neither will I. I understand the necessity of occasional alone time around here, so I hope you enjoy the brandy curled up in front of a lovely warm fire. It came from a shop in Hogsmead that sells both wizzarding and muggle liquor and if you like it I’d be more than happy to get more for you on my next trip. I’d tell you which shop it came from, but then I wouldn’t have the pleasure of getting to buy it for you.
Anyway this letter has gotten a lot longer than I had intended it to; I find that I don’t want to stop writing because it feels like when I do my conversation with you will be over. And those are always hard to end as we found out last night. Still, I really should be going, I know you must want to get back to whatever you were doing before this lovely rose found its way to you. Oh, I wanted to tell you I went to the garden today. I know that’s probably obvious since there’s a rose attached to this letter but anyway. It’s looking lovely as always, the roses are growing well and more of them are blooming every day so I won’t be running out of flowers to send you any time soon you should be happy to hear. I can’t wait to show it to you, Severus. It’s incredible, just like you.
All right, I’ll go now. I hope you have a lovely evening and you enjoy the brandy. The man who sold it to me said it was like being hugged from the inside out and I figured since I can’t hug you the brandy can do it for me.
Good night, Severus, sleep well and sweet dreams.
Love
Me
XXOO
Severus put the letter on his lap and looked down at the Brandy with a smile. Harry was right, it was like being hugged on the inside. It was warm, just like Harry. Severus took another sip and lifted the letter up to read it again. It was funny that Harry thought he’d written too much and he should cut his letter short to let Severus get back to whatever he was doing. Before the owl had found him he’d been thinking about Harry and reading Harry’s description of his day was actually really nice. It was like they were living together and Harry had come home from a day out with his friends and told Severus all about it. It made him feel closer to the Gryffindor and he was actually disappointed that there wasn’t more detail in the letter. He’d have to ask Harry to include more with his next note when he saw the Gryffindor the following evening.
Suddenly a thought occurred to Severus and he put the letter down in his lap for a moment to let his mind wander. Not a month or so ago he would have been sitting in front of the fire on a Sunday night with a potions journal in his hand and thinking about anything other than the boy who lived. Now he was reading a letter from the young man and wishing Harry were here to cuddle up next to him and talk to him like they had the previous evening. It was a complete turn around and it suddenly occurred to Severus that he seemed to be getting sappy in his young age.
He should have been annoyed … he wasn’t and he was surprisingly okay with that. Well, it wasn’t like he could do anything about it anyway, he may as well accept what the spell had done to him; no one else had to know.
A knock on the door startled him out of his musing and made his heartbeat kick up slightly, much to his annoyance at himself. He hoped it was Harry coming to visit him, or Draco, or both which would be even better. He knew the likelihood of that happening was very slim so he called out.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Minerva, may I come in?”
“Just a moment,” Severus called in reply. He placed the flower in a vase where the other two were still happily floating and moved it into his bedroom before putting the brandy away in a cupboard. He moved to the door and opened it to find the head of Gryffindor standing outside, with a bottle of what appeared to be Firewhiskey in her hands.
“Minnerva, to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked.
“I wanted to speak to you, do you mind?” she asked, motioning toward the couch.
“Of course not,” he replied, allowing her to enter before closing the door behind her. He’d been looking forward to a little alone time, but the woman looked somewhat upset. He invited her to sit down before taking a seat of his own in his favourite chair.
She watched him for a moment before asking. “How are you coping with everything? I imagine this can’t be easy for you.”
Actually since Harry had kissed him everybody seemed to have gone back to normal and completely forgotten about what had happened, so he was finding it quite a bit easier than he had previously. Of course his change in appearance was still taking a while to adjust to, but he felt better about it now that he knew Harry had liked him before its occurrence. “It wasn’t initially, however it has become easier since the alluring part of the spell appears to have passed,” he replied, surprised to see Minerva blush slightly at his words. “Is something the matter, Minerva?” he asked.
“Well I … Albus mentioned the spells alluring properties to the other professors and myself earlier in the day, as well as how most of the school reacted to you as a result. I’m afraid we all appear to have forgotten,” She said, looking down.
“A fact I am quite grateful for,” Severus replied.
“Yes I am sure you are. I imagine the rest of the school are also only too grateful to forget their less than appropriate actions.” Here she paused as if trying to decide how she should continue. Finally she looked up at him, a nervous expression on her face that Severus had never seen before and hoped he never would again. “Severus was I … did I behave in any way inappropriately toward you?” she finally asked and Severus nearly laughed in relief at finally working out what was troubling her. Instead he gave her a small, reassuring smile and relaxed in his chair.
“No, Minerva. In fact you were one of the few people in the castle who didn’t behave in an inappropriate manner toward me,” he replied, happy to see the woman relax.
“Oh, that is quite a weight off my mind, thank you, Severus,” she said gratefully.
“You’re welcome,” Severus replied. “Was that all you came by for?” he asked. “Not that I am overly eager for you to leave, but you seemed most distressed when you arrived.”
Minerva looked down. “Yes, I’m afraid I received some rather bad news this morning. It seems my cousin passed away last night in her sleep. I was most distraught when I received the note,” she said sadly.
“I am sorry to hear that, Minerva,” Severus replied sincerely. Minerva often spoke of her cousin. He knew they’d been close as children before having a major falling out in their adult years. They’d reconciled after the war, but the other woman had been quite unwell by that point.
“Yes well, the rest of the faculty are encouraging me to look on the bright side, which is something I am not at all in the mood for right now. I wanted to have a good, stiff drink and I thought, given recent events, you might wish to indulge in one with me, so I brought a bottle of Fire Whiskey,” the woman explained, holding up the bottle in invitation.
Severus was quite surprised by her words, but at the same time he couldn’t blame her. He rose from his chair to retrieve 2 glasses and allowed the head of Gryffindor house to pour him and herself a generous glass of the liquor.
“To untimely death,” Minerva said holding up her glass, “And Longbottom’s inability to keep from ruining even the simplest potions; he has quite a gift.”
“Hear, hear,” Severus agreed, clinking his glass to hers and taking a long sip.
Well, he had intended on drinking tonight, at least there was that. And he had to say he was looking forward to seeing the head of Gryffindor drunk. He just hoped she was the happy sort rather than the touchy sort or tonight could get rather awkward
XX
End of Chapter
So what did we think? There are a few of you interested in Hermione and Blaise, but as you will all know now that isn’t going to happen. Hermione is going to end up with someone and I’m curious to see what your guesses are so feel free to guess in your reviews if you leave any.
I have to admit the idea of a drunk Minerva has always tickled me so I decided to write about it. There won’t be any specific details but it will be mentioned in the next chapter. Anyway as always let me know what you think.
It’s been nice to see some of you on facebook. Of course if you haven’t looked me up and want to I’m under Kayla Dark and using the email address darkdancerkayla@outlook.com. I hope you enjoyed the update :)
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Black Roses