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The New Life	By : lilith395 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 14592 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Harry Potter and I don't earn anything from these stories.

Chapter List
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A/N: Hello everyone! It's been about... two weeks? I know, I know, I've been struggling with this little chappie for a bit now and though I'm still not entirely happy about it, I realize, it's a small one, and it fits just fine... Fine isn't what I usually go for, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting much longer... it's been long enough, don't you agree? On with the story!!

Existence, meet bane... Bane, existence...

I’ve been getting odd looks all the way through breakfast. And to make matters worse, Remus has been shooting me worried glances all morning. I am getting thoroughly fed up with it.

“What?” I hiss under my breath.

He picks at his food a little, as if deciding whether or not to answer. I nudge his ribs with my elbow. Sharply.

“What?” I hiss again.

He looks up at me. “You look horrid, Severus. What’s going on?”

I just catch his eyes flicking over to Granger’s empty seat. Oh Merlin, he thinks it has something to do with her. Though I suppose it does, I’m probably not going to give him the reply he expects. I shrug a little.

“Someone” I say, glancing over to the empty seat for a moment, “decided to finish off my ingredients. Naturally, I’ve been up all night cataloging my inventory and trying to find a week within this school-year where I might be able to leave the school. It’s such a shame” I drawl, waving my hands about a little, “that I’m booked solid until February, leaving me no choice but to sacrifice the only two weeks this year which I have to myself. That fact alone is enough to leave me a little on the annoyed side this morning. Not to mention I have yet to go to bed. Was that a suitable explanation or was there something else you wish to hear?”

To my great delight, the color seems to drain from his face. “No, no. I merely thought…”

“What did you think, Lupin?” My voice has dropped so far down below the freezing-point I’m waiting for the icicles to appear on his face.

He turns himself back to his bread and picks at it some more.

“Nothing, Severus. I thought absolutely nothing.”

“And I wouldn’t expect it of you.” I raise myself from my chair, my hands still braced on the table in front of me. “I have your potion ready, if you would be so kind to pick it up later today at my office.”

I stalk out of the Great Hall.

I decide to take the side door, so I can avoid any stray students on their way from breakfast. I have no desire whatsoever to see any of the dunderheads today. The corridor leading to my old office in the dungeons is completely devoid of people. Though I have a very urgent appointment with my bed this morning, I just can’t leave my notes lying around where just anyone can find them. And I surely wouldn’t trust those ‘free’ house-elves with my important papers on any day, let alone one where I am so on edge. Not sleeping makes me paranoid. Though it has served me well during my spy-years, it’s a little unnecessary as headmaster. As a teacher, students would try to hex me sometimes, but thankfully they wouldn’t dare to hex the headmaster.

It is this paranoia which tells me something’s wrong the moment I round the last corner. On the far side of the corridor, I can see light spilling out of the potions office. The door is slightly ajar. This is bad. It means someone has noticed my research. I find it highly unlikely someone has gone into the office and missed the stacks of books and piles of parchment I have left on the desk to go to breakfast. Also, I find it odd that someone has been able to break through the wards I placed on the room.

I slow down a bit, moving myself into the shadows on one side of the corridor, and I creep towards the office. About halfway down the corridor I can hear voices floating through the open door to reach my ears. One male, one female. As I come closer, I can hear the female clearly, as if she’s shouting.

“I bloody well know that, but honestly? I couldn’t care if he was the king of the freaking universe, he BROKE. INTO. MY. OFFICE!” Ah, Granger. I relax a little. There’s nothing she would dare to do to my research. I hear the male voice mumble something, and I’m pretty sure it’s Potter. I just can’t remember whether or not I saw him at breakfast. I reach the door just as she starts yelling again.

“And..” I can just see her waving her finger in Potter’s face. “And he actually dared to ask me if I’m a virgin!”

Indeed I did, so? I raise one of my eyebrows. Did I embarrass her, maybe? The sound of her heels stomping around on the stone floor tells me she’s pacing. I’m still staring at the spot she vacated. It wasn’t such a horrible question, so what is she this furious about?

“He only said it to piss me off, Harry. He must have.”

Why in Merlin’s name would I do that?

“Is it possible he doesn’t remember?”

Don’t remember what? The paranoia has gotten it’s bony little fingers tightly clasped around the throat of my sanity, preventing it from speaking up. A cold feeling of dread is creeping up the back of my spine, and I really do not want to know what it’s about. I will it to go back down before it reaches my brain.

“How can he not? The marks were right there!”

So I missed something I should’ve seen on her? I almost breath out a sigh of relief, silently thanking the Gods that my sleep-addled mind hasn’t made the connection about what was starting to spook me yet. I am very sure I do not want to know.

However, does the woman really expect me to pay that much attention to her for me to see some, what? Love-bites? Don’t flatter yourself girl, you are not that interesting. It’s the small annoying Dumbledore-esk voice in the back of my mind which tells me that however, it’s me standing by the door eavesdropping on her uninteresting conversation.

“Think of what kind of man we are talking about, ‘Mione. Do you truly believe he would’ve passed on the opportunity to milk that knowledge for all it’s worth?”

They aren’t talking about me anymore. I’m sure they’re not. They can’t be. Why? Simple. I would not milk information like that because that would make me no better than the gossiping wimps at the breakfast table. Besides, it might give certain people the idea they are more important than they really are.

“You’re right, but still…”

That’s it, I believe I have listened to this dribble long enough for today. I push the door open and walk into the room.

I stalk over to the desk, gather my parchments and books, shrink them and place them in one of my pockets. I look back up to them. They are staring at me, Granger looking about ready to start spitting fire, and Potter merely looks interested in what the hell is going on. Good, if he finds out, I must remember to ask him to explain it to me. I raise an eyebrow at Granger.

“You are fully aware that my ‘breaking into your office’, which looks suspiciously like my old office, I might add, plus our conversation last night, could’ve been completely avoided. By you. Whether you are willing to admit it or not, once again you have managed to get me trapped in a very undesirable situation which is completely, utterly, entirely your fault.”

I make my way back to the door but pause on the threshold.

“Which reminds me, girl.” I look at her over my shoulder. “You would do well to keep your Christmas holidays open. You need to help me gather the incredibly rare and highly expensive ingredients you managed to blow up.”

She opens and closes her mouth a few times, giving her a sort of fishy look, but fails to find her voice.

“Any protests?”

I quirk an eyebrow and she shakes her head. No, no protests at all. Good. I disappear into the corridor, almost, but not quite, closing the door. It’s halfway down the corridor that I pause, and listen carefully, counting under my breath.

“Three, two, one..”

“HE CALLED ME A GIRL!” A pause, and then, “OH, SHUT UP, HARRY!”

As my luck would have it, the corridors are still deserted. Wouldn’t do well to let the students see me grinning like an idiot, now would it?

I round the last corner back into the entrance hall to a nice shriek.

“CHRISTMAS?!”
- 7
- 8
- 9
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The New Life