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Love Is No Big Truth	By : honeybee Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 10389 -:- 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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9. Unfinished Sympathy

Hermione and Viktor had dinner at home because
they wanted to speak about Wielding. Viktor kept asking questions about what it
felt like and even asked her to show him. However, she didn�t want to try
alone, remembering the uncontrolled torrent she had unleashed before. She
wasn�t sure what would happen if she got caught as a conduit for raw life
force, but she sure as hell didn�t want to find out.

Just as they were finishing their pizza,
the distinct sound of a telephone ringing made them both jump up. Hermione
stared at the small table in the corner. Yes, it had a brand new wireless
telephone on it. Viktor flushed.

�Oh, I forgot to tell you. I had it
installed today while you were gone, I wanted to surprise you. Go get it, I
believe it�s for you.� The telephone rang again. Hermione squealed happily,
kissed Viktor on the cheek and rushed to pick it up.

�Hello?� she said, out of breath. She
promptly moved the speaker away, because a voice shrieked in her ear.

�HELLO? HERMIONE, IS THIS YOU? CAN YOU HEAR
ME?�

�Yes, Ginny, please don�t yell! You are
going to pop my eardrum. Speak as if I�m next to you.�

There was a brief sound of struggle;
apparently Harry won, because she heard his voice next.

�I keep telling them, but they don�t
believe me. How are you, Hermione? Settling in all right, blending with the
locals?�

Hermione sniggered.

�You sound as if I am off to live with some
tribe in the wilderness. Everything is okay; I�m starting classes next week.
The city is nice, so are Viktor�s friends.�

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

�I�m glad you are feeling well. I was a bit
worried, because you just went off like that and you don�t know anyone there. I
know you have Viktor, but I guess he has stuff to do.�

�Don�t worry, I can take care of myself. I
already regained most of my lost weight, Mrs Krum�s meals are rival to Mrs
Weasley�s. By the way, you�d never guess who I saw yesterday.�

�Who, the lead singer of the Weird
Sisters?�

�No, you dummy! Professor Snape.�

There was a heavy silence on the other
side.

�Are you kidding me?�

�No, I saw him in a café next to the
university. He apprenticed with Master Borisov and visits from time to time.
You know he lives in Greece now and it�s within Apparition distance.�

�Did you speak to him?�

�Yes, he asked me about my�problems. I
never wrote back to him and he didn�t know. I told him about my parents and
everything.�

�Well, that�s nice. Tell him hello from me
if you see him again. Now Ginny here is tapping her foot, so this is goodbye
from me.�

Hermione smiled fondly as Ginny regained
the speaker and they spent half an hour in aimless babble. Ginny wanted to know
everything about the city, and the boys, and the university, and the boys. In
turn she told Hermione all the gossip about their school friends,
who was seeing who, and the bliss of married life. Hermione realized
that she really missed her friend�s lightheartedness and easy humour. She
didn�t like keeping secrets from either Harry or Ginny, but she knew there was
no way to tell them about the newest development in her life.

After sending her well-wishes to everyone
at home, Hermione hung up and smiled contently. This was way better than Floo
conversations and there wasn�t any soot involved.

�Viktor, are we going to have lunch with
your parents this Saturday?�

He raised his head from his book. �Yes, but
you don�t have to go if you have something else in mind.�

�Oh, no. I
think I will visit Professor Snape after that. Your mother�s lunch should load
me up with enough energy to tackle another try.� They had agreed to avoid
mentioning the word Wielding even when alone, but Viktor knew what she was
talking about. �I will owl him tomorrow, I�m too tired to go out now. I think
I�ll turn in. Good night Viktor.�

After the lunch with the Krums, Hermione
bid them farewell and Apparated to Snape�s cottage. She popped in at the edge
of the garden and approached by foot. He was sitting on the ground next to the
fig tree, reading a book. It still startled her, seeing him like that in the
broad daylight, without his heavy teaching robes. As far as most Hogwarts
students were concerned, he was born in them. She noticed that his hair had
grown considerably longer and a single lock hung before his eyes, almost to the
middle of his chest. Hermione felt a sudden urge to tuck it behind his ear and
her fingers twitched involuntarily. She suppressed the impulse and walked towards
him, trying to ignore that black lock, standing out against his crisp white
shirt.

Severus raised his head and snapped the
book shut.

�Good afternoon, Miss Granger. Punctual as
always, I see. Have you eaten?�

�Yes, I had lunch with Viktor�s parents.�

�Have you spoken to Mr Krum about
your�situation?�

�Yes, he told me about his
great-grandfather. I suppose you knew about him?�

�I knew Vladislav personally. I met him
once, a few years before he died. I was certain that Mr. Krum�s father must
have told him the truth about the old man, so I believed he would be someone to
trust with this particular secret.� He beckoned to the ground in front of him.
�Shall we begin?�

Hermione sat down cross-legged and listened
carefully to his instructions.

�You need to do what you did the last time,
with more restraint. Allow only a little to pass. When you feel that small
trickle passing through, focus it on something concrete. It is easiest to find
a seed, there are many buried in the soil. When you do that, pull back quickly,
in case the seed was from something large. It is not a pleasant sensation to be
knocked out cold by a tree.� He crossed his arms and waited for her.

Hermione felt even more nervous under his
scrutiny. She glanced at the ground in front of her and touched it tentatively.
This time, instead of plunging in, she reached carefully. When she felt the
telltale tickle, she stopped and pressed down firmly. The ethereal fluid struggled
for a moment and then calmed down. Hermione relaxed her hold a little and felt
a small amount escape. She grasped it firmly with both her mind and her hands
and directed it to the first seed she sensed. She couldn�t explain how she
found it. Probably her awakened Wielding senses responded to the tiny spark of
life hidden inside. The small tendril of life force slammed into the seed and
Hermione pulled back quickly, breaking contact. She opened her eyes and watched
as several green leaves sprang from the soil. They lengthened and grew, little
blooms formed and opened. It was a purple hyacinth.

Hermione watched the flower with awe. She
had actually done it! She grasped one of the small blooms and broke it off. Somehow
she knew that the plant didn�t need all of them and she wasn�t hurting it. She
turned towards Professor Snape. He actually looked pleased about her
accomplishment, until he spotted the small flower in her hand. Then his eyes
became wary and guarded. Still, she reached out to him and proffered the
flower.

�Thank you for teaching me how to do this,
Professor.�

Snape stared at her with wide eyes and she
was surprised to see his hurt look. He reached slowly and took her gift with
trembling fingers. Then he winced, as if he had touched red-hot iron, turned
his back and quickly strode into the cottage, slamming the door behind himself.
Hermione just stood there, mouth hanging open.

�What did I do?� she asked the world in
general.

�You brought back painful memories, girl.
It�s not your fault, don�t fret.�

Hermione turned around frightened, to see a
short woman in a white robe. She looked like someone�s fairy-godmother at first
sight, but at a closer look she seemed to emanate power. Somehow, Hermione felt
that the woman was not a threat.

�Who are you?� she asked.

The woman smiled benevolently. �My name is
Vesna. Severus might have mentioned me. No?� she added at Hermione�s lack of
recognition. �Well, trust him to omit important things. Let�s just say that I
am a Wielder too, no need to hide from me. I have known Severus since he was
younger than you, I taught him to Wield. I drop by occasionally, to see if his
Potions experiments hadn�t eaten him.�

Hermione couldn�t suppress her giggle. Then
she quickly became serious.

�What did you mean when you said I brought
back painful memories? I only gave him a flower.�

�Every little gesture might have a
different meaning to every single person. But this is his story to tell.�

At this point, a disheveled Professor Snape
stormed out of the cottage.

�How nice of you to remember, Vesna.
Sometimes you find it hard to distinguish between your own and other people�s
business.�

Nonplussed by his anger, the woman smiled
and patted him on the shoulder. Hermione thought that in his current state, the
action was equivalent to patting a hungry crocodile on the snout.

�Relax, Severus. I haven�t told her
anything, as you well heard. However, you should.�

He towered over her and bellowed, �Is it
not enough that you made me teach again? Do you know how similar they are? Do
you know what it costs me? Do you?� He was trembling with rage and Hermione
knew that if it was anyone else in Vesna�s place, he would have hexed them
already.

Vesna only looked up at him and smiled
sadly.

�Yes, I know. A festering wound hurts when
you drain out the poison. But isn�t it the only way to heal?�

Severus shrank visibly. He sank down on his
knees and took Vesna�s hands in his.

�I know that, but it doesn�t make it any
easier. I am sorry that I shouted at you.�

�I don�t mind, you needed to let it out.
Please, speak to the girl. It is not her fault and she shouldn�t wonder why you
keep running off. There shouldn�t be secrets like that between you two, after all you are family now. We shall speak again.�
She placed her hand on his head in a silent blessing and was gone as suddenly
as she had arrived.

Hermione couldn�t take her eyes off Snape.
He looked so�sad. He seemed lost in thought, still on his knees, staring at the
crumpled flower in his hand. She didn�t know what to do, whether to approach
him or to Apparate quietly and give him time to calm down. Deciding in favour
of the latter, she made a step backwards. She thought she didn�t make any
noise, but his eyes turned to her, as if he had forgotten about her presence.

�Please, stay. I will do my best to
explain. Vesna is right; there are some things you should know if I am to teach
you. I cannot promise to control my temper at all times but at least you will
know the reasons for my behavior. I hope you won�t hold it against me.� He
slowly laid his upper body on the ground and stared at the sky.

�I will tell this only once, so listen and
do not interrupt. I met her in my old neighbourgood, when I was about ten years
old. She was my age, a small girl with a cloud of red hair. I saw her levitate
and I knew she was a witch. She was my friend, my first and only friend. We
went to Hogwarts together. As your friend Potter must have told you, my days
there were not exactly happy.�

Hermione shrugged.

�He told us that his dad and Sirius were
really mean to you. It bothered him a lot.�

�So, the little bugger can keep his mouth
shut after all,� muttered Snape darkly. Hermione
didn�t have a clue what he was talking about and just kept quiet. He sniffed
the hyacinth and put his hand under his head, looking very young and
vulnerable.

�Even though most people thought I was good
only for target practice, she always stood by me. She was popular, but she was
never stuck up. And she always had time to brew potions with me, to let me know
I was not as alone as I felt.�

Snape was looking at her now, his eyes
boring into hers like pits of black fire.

�In second year, I discovered that she was
a Wielder. I called Vesna and she suggested that it would be best to teach her
myself. So I taught her. It was one more thing that connected us. Oh, we had
our fights, but you know how childhood friendships are, Miss Granger. Very,
very hard to break.�

Hermione nodded slowly, remembering all the
fights with Ron and Harry.

�Did you love her?� she asked. That
question seemed to anger him.

�Love? Of course I loved her, you silly
girl. Don�t you love Potter and Weasley? Wouldn�t you give away your life in
exchange for theirs? Do not mix silly romance here, it has no place. The point
is that I taught Wielding to my only friend, the skill that made her and her
son so special in the eyes of the Dark Lord; the reason for her death.�

Hermione stared with unbelieving eyes.

�Oh, yes. Lily Potter. When she grew her
first flower she gave it to me. Do you understand now, Miss Granger, why I ran
away from your gift? Sometimes you are so like her that it scares me out of my
mind. On the other hand, maybe it is my chance at redemption?�

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
Hermione�s eyes wandered and she saw a patch of his bare stomach where his
shirt had bunched up. Suddenly she had the same insane urge as earlier, to
touch him, to see if his skin was soft and warm. She shivered and brushed the
thought away, averting her eyes.

He stood up briskly and looked the other
way, obviously uncomfortable about sharing his story.

�Sometimes I might be�difficult, Miss
Granger, but I hope this will not dissuade you from our lessons. I will try not
to overreact, if you try to bear with me when I do.�

Hermione managed a weak �Yes, sir.�

�I believe that was enough practice for
today. If I remember correctly, our initial topic of conversation in that
café was my research. Now that you are more knowledgeable about the
nature of Wielding, I will give you some of my notes to read. Take your time
and we will discuss them when you are finished.� He disappeared into the
cottage and returned with a stack of parchment. Hermione took it almost with
reverence and sat herself on the lawn.

***

Severus was tending to his herbs, but he
kept glancing at Hermione as she read. She stared at the parchment almost
accusingly as she bit her lip in concentration. It was already swollen and
almost worn through and he had the urge to reach out and soothe her abused
mouth. He had a fine softening salve made from beeswax and calendula, which
would do the trick, but the idea of spreading it on her lip with his own
fingers made strange emotions stir within him, emotions he chose to ignore as
well as he could. Nevertheless his eyes kept straying to her face. She was
absolutely engrossed in reading. Only once she tore her eyes away to grab a
piece of blank parchment and a quill from her satchel. When she leaned forward,
her shirt opened a bit and he quickly looked away, but note before he had
caught a glimpse of white skin and black fabric. He shook his head and fixed
his attention on his work. The last thing
you need is thinking about her underwear.

Some hours later Hermione approached him,
holding several sheets of parchment.

�Sir, I have read through most of your
notes. I understand the direction of your work, but I feel I need to read up on
some of the ingredients and other things. I made a list of what I would like to
research. Would you look at it and tell me if it�s okay to bring it home with
me?�

Severus grabbed the parchments and studied
them for a minute before handing them back to her.

�I see no problems, the list does not imply
any particular potion.�

She stood by his side a moment longer
before she asked softly.

�Professor, does Harry know about what you
told me today?�

Severus sighed. He was certain that the
questions would come sooner or later.

�Yes, he knows the basics. It was in the
memories I gave him.�

Hermione remembered bits and pieces of what
Harry had told her and the pieces fit together. His overall change of attitude
towards Snape made more sense now.

�Does he know about Wielding?�

�He did. After the battle he agreed that it
was dangerous knowledge and I Obliviated him, with his express permission. Now
he only knows that there was a special connection between his mother and me.�

�But sir, why did he have to know in the
first place? Couldn�t you avoid showing it to him?�

Severus rubbed his temples and sighed in
exasperation.

�Miss Granger, it was not easy for me to
tell you any of this. I have a headache and I have more work to do. Please, be kind and stop pestering me with
questions. Besides it is nearly dark, you should get going�

Hermione bowed her head and went to collect
her things. She returned to him and bit her lip again with a wince.

�Goodbye, Professor. Thank you for today
and�I am sorry about your loss.�

Severus�s eyes softened and he replied
quietly, �It was a loss for others too. Lily was a friend to many people, a
dedicated wife and mother. Still, I thank you. I trust you will owl me about
your next visit?�

She nodded.

�Goodbye, Miss Granger. You did very well
today. Lily did not succeed until her fifth attempt. There were many
inexplicable flower patches near the lake, and an accidental copse of trees.�

Hermione lifted her eyes and looked at him
with a smile. Suddenly she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He felt her life
force brush his like a caress.

�Thank you, sir.� she whispered and
Disapparated. Severus stared at the empty air, his hand still tingling from her
touch. An image of white flesh clad in black fabric flashed across his mind,
but he brushed it away angrily and stomped towards the cottage, abandoning his
gardening tools.

A/N: I know it has been a long time. Thanks to everyone still reading. The title of this chapter belongs to Massive Attack.
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Love Is No Big Truth