Rock Skipping Lessons

As always, I would like to thank the people that have helped me so much, JENGEORGE, NervousAboutAngels, and the staff at The Petulant Poetess. They keep me on my toes with their constant vigilance! Thanks to you all.

I make no money, I take no credit. It's all J. K. Rowlings.

Chapter 16

Rock Skipping Lessons

Hermione stared at Ron's latest IM on her computer screen.

HalfBloodPrince: I love you, Hermione. I need you. I would be lost without you.

"There, dear, you see? He does love you. Perhaps you should forgive him and give it another chance." Molly had been sitting beside Hermione and watching the exchange with great fascination.

Hermione didn't mind the fact that Molly was eves-dropping, but she felt that, in order for Molly to understand her point of view, she would have to tell her about the book. She turned to face Molly and took a deep breath.

"I don't think that moving back in with him is the answer. I hate to tell you this, Molly, but I don't know if I ever really loved him as anything more than a friend."

Molly's shocked look didn't surprise Hermione. "Then why in Merlin's name did you marry him?" she asked, with just a touch of resentment in her voice.

"Have you ever heard of the book, Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches?"

Molly gasped. "Did he use those spells on you, dear?"

Hermione nodded, "Even before we were married. I think that he actually used one of the spells to get me to agree to marry him. My instincts told me that the marriage would never work, but looking back, I think he even had me under a spell on our wedding day so I would go through with the ceremony."

Molly shook her head as outrage began to erupt on her face. "If Arthur gave him that damn book, I'll kill him! He tried to use those spells on me before we were even out of Hogwarts. I told him that if he ever tried it again, I'd turn his hair green and dump him."

"How did you know what it felt like?"

"My mum had taught me how to detect the spells and how to counteract them. My father had used them on her, but by the time she found out what was going on, there were six children to consider. It was too late for her, but she didn't want the same fate to befall her own daughter, so she trained me. And I have since taught Ginny as well."

"How fortunate for you both. I didn't know about such things. I happened upon the book when I was cleaning out the dresser drawers while I was on maternity leave with Hugo. Then I researched ways to detect and counteract the spells. It was quite an eye-opener to see just how often he had used them to manipulate me."

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Molly replied with quiet sincerity. "I had no idea. No wonder your marriage fell apart... Does Ron know that you found the book?"

"I don't think so. I never told him."

"Perhaps you should. At least then he will understand how you really feel and why."

"Now I know why Professor Snape wanted you here with me." Hermione smiled at Molly. "You can help me see things from Ron's point of view. You can remind me why I still care about him."

"He's not a bad person, dear. But even good people follow bad advice sometimes."

"I know. And I'll always love him as a friend." Hermione glanced over at the two children who were eating their lunch at the kitchen table and sighed heavily. "But I was never really in love with him." She gazed sadly into Molly's eyes, willing her to understand and not be resentful of her next statement. "He's just not the man I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Molly's posture slumped. "I understand, dear. Please forgive me for not wanting to lose you as a daughter-in-law – especially if you are to be replaced with a harlot like Lavender Brown!"

They both laughed. "Perhaps he will come to his senses before it's too late," Hermione reassured her.

"And perhaps I should give you two some privacy in your virtual conversation." Molly stood and walked into the kitchen, but turned back to Hermione. "Can I make you a sandwich, dear?"

"Yes, thanks, that would be great."

Hermione turned back to the computer screen in silent contemplation. She had to tell him that she had found the book. But how? She finally decided that the truth was always the best course of action.

MuggleBornWitch: I know about the book, Ron. I've known about it for years. I found it when Hugo was just a baby.

It took a while for his reply to appear on the screen.

HalfBloodPrince: What book?

Hermione rolled her eyes. I can't believe that he's playing dumb.

MuggleBornWitch: The one about twelve ways to charm witches. I learned to detect and counteract the spells. Imagine how I felt when I realized that you had been manipulating me for years. How would you have felt if I had done that to you?

Again, a long span of minutes ticked slowly by.

HalfBloodPrince: Pretty mad, I suppose. But I love you. I can't live without you, Hermione. Please try to understand. I didn't think that you would have wanted me if I didn't use the spells on you.

MuggleBornWitch: Sorry, but that's not how I was raised. I can't believe that your parents raised you that way either.

"Here, here!" commented Molly, who had been listening in from the kitchen.

HalfBloodPrince: They didn't, but they never had such a non-existent sex life.

MuggleBornWitch: Because they were both in love with each other, not because your mum was under some spell.

When Ron didn't answer right away, Hermione added another sentence.

MuggleBornWitch: You can't expect me to love you when you are pretending to be someone that you're not.

MuggleBornWitch: I'm afraid that's probably true.

Another long pause...

HalfBloodPrince: So you don't love me?

Hermione sighed and shook her head. So he finally gets it!

MuggleBornWitch: I love you, but only as a friend, like I love Harry.

HalfBloodPrince: So you wish we had never gotten married?

Hermione had a feeling that Ron's heart was breaking, and she didn't want to hurt him any more than necessary. They had made some headway in the right direction, and she didn't want it all to be flushed instantly down the drain, so she thought long and hard about her response.

MuggleBornWitch: I wouldn't say that. Our two beautiful children are the best things that have ever happened to me. I have you to thank for them.

MuggleBornWitch: It is for their sake that I don't want to come back. You and I are miserable together and it is affecting Hugo's health. After thinking about it, I believe that Rose's aggressive behavior can be attributed to our failing marriage as well. Don't you think that the children would prefer two separate, but happy, parents? Wouldn't a stress-free environment be a better atmosphere for them to grow up in?

*

Harry returned to the upstairs bedroom with the tray filled with delicious food. Ron reached over and grabbed a sandwich. "Thank Merlin. I'm famished," he whispered so as to not add his words to the screen behind him. He took a huge bite and glanced at the doorway as he chewed. "Where's Snape?"

"He decided to eat downstairs."

Ron shrugged. "Too bad. His suggestions were better than the book's." He took another huge bite of the roast beef on rye. "Horseradish! Yum! You're right about Winky's cooking. This is terrific."

Harry glanced over Ron's shoulder to read the last few lines of his conversation with Hermione. "So she knows about the book, eh? It's just as well. Two people should marry for love, not because of good spell work."

Ron glared at Harry for taking Hermione's side in this. "She's got to come back. She's just got to."

"Why?" Harry felt almost angry at Ron's stubbornness in this. "After you deceived her all these years, and then cheated on her out in the open, why should she come back to you?"

"Because if I get a divorce, then Lavender will want to marry me, and although she's hell between the sheets, I have no desire to get permanently hitched to that witch."

"Then just tell her that you don't want to get married." Harry took a bite of his sandwich. "Simple as that."

"But then she'll dump me. And from what I've heard, she's pretty ruthless about it. I wouldn't want to cross her."

"You should have thought about that before you started shaggin' her on the side, mate."

They both sat in silence and slurped their soup. "I guess I wasn't thinking straight when I decided to listen to Malfoy and Nott."

Harry chuckled. "Oh you were thinking straight, alright. But you were thinking with that heat seeking Nimbus 2020 between your legs instead of with your brain."

Ron's ears turned beet red as he took a swig of his pumpkin juice. Then he put his glass down on the table and turned back to the computer screen and re-read Hermione's previous IM. Then he turned back to Harry with a pained and helpless look on his face. "What would you do?"

"Do you love her? Truly love her?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Hasn't she always done what was best for you and the kids?"

After a short pause and a sigh, Ron answered, "Yeah."

"Then don't you think you should return the favor? You know she's a Muggle-born. You know she would never agree to a loveless marriage where you both see other people on the side. And you know that she loves your children more than life itself." Harry leaned forward and put his hand on Ron's shoulder. "You have a good heart. You know what's right and fair. Don't listen to Malfoy and Nott. Listen to your conscience."

Ron looked at Harry with sad eyes and nodded slowly.

***

Harry came bounding down the staircase two at a time again, followed anxiously by Ron.

"They came to an agreement!" he shouted excitedly as he ran into the kitchen. But the room was deserted. Harry glanced around the other downstairs rooms and found no one, not even Winky. He peeked out through the sliding glass door to the greenhouse. Empty. Harry had a feeling that the potential outcome was simply too painful for Snape to consider, and he had left so as not to reveal his true feelings to Ron when they had finally come to a decision.

"Well, I guess he had errands to run. Let's see if he lifted the wards so we can at least get out of here." Harry walked over and tried the front door. It opened easily. "Why don't you go on, Ron. I'll just write him a quick note to let him know what you decided."

"Tell him 'thanks' for me."

"Will do." Harry nodded as Ron Disillusioned himself and stepped out on the front porch to Disapparate. But Harry didn't have any intention of writing Snape a note. He wanted to find him and talk with him in person. "Winky!" he called out in desperation.

The little elf appeared in front of him with a crack. "Yes, Harry Potter. Winky is at your service." She bowed low to him.

"Winky, do you know where Professor Snape is? I really need to talk with him. Ron has agreed to let Hermione see the kids on a regular basis. She doesn't have to move back in with him. He'll sign the papers this afternoon. She'll be free, and she will still be able to see the children.

"Oh, this is wonderful news, Harry Potter! This will make Master Severus very happy, indeed!"

Harry smiled broadly at her. "But where is he?"

"Winky does not know. Master Severus transformed his clothes to Muggle style and walked out the front door."

Harry thought about the memories from the Pensieve and figured that if he could find the river and follow it, he would eventually come across the old playground where Snape had met his mother all those years ago. Something inside told him that Snape would be there, searching his soul for the strength to carry on if Hermione chose to go back to Ron.

"Thanks, Winky." Harry grabbed his cloak from the front hall closet and shrank it to fit into his pocket. Then he took off out the front door in search of the river. It was only a block away, and there were signs and a bike path that led to the refurbished playground. But still no Snape. So Harry continued to follow the river until he rounded a bend, and in the distance he spied a tall, slender figure, with long black hair and blue jeans, skipping rocks along the water's surface. With a huge grin on his face, Harry slid down the bank to land on the sand and came up beside Snape.

"Mission accomplished!" he announced energetically.

"Oh?" Snape raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Ron agreed to let Hermione keep the kids on weekends and when he has to work late. And they will work out other times as well, such as holidays and vacation time, depending on both of their schedules. And, best of all, she doesn't have to move back in with him."

Snape closed his eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks to Merlin. "I suppose I have you to thank for talking him into it?"

"No, actually, Hermione admitted that she had found that book, and it was all downhill from there. He knew then that he didn't stand a chance of ever getting her back."

"That book should be outlawed. I wonder how many women have married while under the influence of its spells, only to live out their lives in misery as a result. Not to mention the effects that bad marriages have had on the countless children involved over the years." Snape skillfully skipped a small, flat rock, and both men watched it flitter effortlessly across the surface of the sparkling water.

"She's free, Professor. Nothing stands in your way now," Harry announced hopefully. But Snape's reaction was reserved instead of excited. Harry couldn't help but show just a hint of disappointment at Snape's lack of enthusiasm for the situation that they had both worked so hard to bring about.

"My status in society is still problematic. And she is on the rebound. She needs friendship, not romance. She needs to move on... figure out who she is without the wastrel by her side before she becomes involved with anyone new." Snape paused to look into Harry's eyes in hope of finding understanding there. He wanted to be sure that Harry could see that his decision to keep her at arm's length was for her own good. The last thing he wanted to be accused of was taking advantage of Miss Granger during an emotionally fragile time in her life.

"She hasn't told me anything, but I can tell that she cares for you deeply. She won't understand why you're pushing her away."

"I don't plan to push her away. I'll be the best friend she could ever want."

"Just as you tried to be with my mother?"

Snape gazed back out over the water. "Precisely."

"But what if she thinks that you don't love her due to your inaction? What if she finds someone else?"

Snape's face went pale at the thought of losing her to another man. "All the better for her," he whispered with more than a hint of anguish in his voice.

Harry became angry. "She needs to feel loved, Professor. Especially now."

"And she will," Snape soothed Harry with his silky voice. "Friendship is the purest form of love. There is only the desire to help, with no conditions, no strings attached. Trust me. I can make her feel loved without making love to her." His lip curled ever so slightly with this statement. He knew that Harry loved her as well, and only wanted her to be happy, just as he did.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I hope, somehow, someday, the two of you can find happiness together. You two were made for each other. I don't think it would have worked twenty years ago, but you both have changed. You seem perfect for each other now. If it weren't for that damn conviction..."

Snape sighed. "Mr. Potter, I have never properly thanked you for all of your hard work on my behalf after the fall of Voldemort. I know that you did all you could. Without the testimony of Dumbledore's portrait, what you saw in the Pensieve was considered hearsay. I was lucky that they didn't toss me into Azkaban and throw away the key."

"I still don't think it's fair. Just because a portrait has never testified at his own murder trial doesn't mean it can't be done."

"But the Wizengamot took a vote to allow it, and the motion did not pass."

"In order to set a new precedent it has to be unanimous, and there was one holdout. ONE HOLDOUT!"

"Any idea who voted down my only chance at freedom?"

"No. They used a secret ballot, so whoever it was wouldn't be badgered by anyone for making that decision."

"How convenient," muttered Snape with more than a touch of resentment.

The two men stood in silence by the river's edge as Snape continued to skip rocks. "Here." He handed Harry one of the flat stones in his hand. "Try it. Helps to take one's mind off the complications of life."

Harry's first attempt failed dismally. It hit the water at a sharp angle and disappeared with a loud bloop! Snape glanced quickly from side to side then reached out his hand. The ill-fated rock flew out of the water and back to his waiting fingertips. "Watch and learn. It's all in the wrist. Keep the angle parallel to the water's surface and throw it like that Muggle toy... what's it called...a Frisbee?" He tossed the rock, and it skipped over a dozen times before it finally disappeared beneath the surface. Then he bent down and retrieved another flat rock from the sand and handed it to Harry.

This time Harry's attempt was much better. After five good skips, it went under. They looked at each other and smiled. Harry Potter was actually enjoying the company of Severus Snape. And it seemed surprisingly relaxed and natural.

"Do you miss teaching?" The words just slipped from Harry's lips. He felt stupid and callous the moment he had uttered them, since, with the conviction looming over his head, there was no way Snape could ever take up that profession again.

"Suffering through hours with brats and dunderheads like you and Weasley every day?" Snape gave Harry his most sarcastic sneer. "You must be joking!"

They both started to laugh.

But suddenly, Snape caught himself and became quite serious. "Speaking of teaching, Hogwarts needs a new Charms professor. I have suggested to Miss Granger that she apply for the job. She hates her current duties at the Ministry. Her talents go so dreadfully underused there. She needs a challenge, something more rewarding. Now that this mess with her marriage has been ironed out, perhaps you could prod her in that direction."

"That would be perfect for her. She loves Charms."

With their new plan for Miss Granger in place, the two men parted ways. Harry found a hedge to hide behind so he could Disapparate back to the Ministry, and Snape made his way back home to put the finishing touches on his Potions textbook manuscript.

It was time to set up a meeting with Viktor Krum.