Chapter Twenty-Three: Conversations

Chapter Twenty-Three: Conversations

Harry and Severus have a much needed talk. Hermione meets with Ron.

(i) The characters and world of Harry Potter are the property of the remarkably talented J.K. Rowling. I make no money from this.

(ii) Thank you to all the readers who have stayed with me through the writing of this tale. Your kind reviews have been enormously helpful. Please do continue to review and tell me what you think of the story. You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear from you.

(iii) And finally, much gratitude to my brilliant beta, Queen_of_Stars. You have been the most gracious of friends through these long months. I am so thankful that you agreed to help me work on, polish and present this story. All errors that ultimately remain are my own.

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Severus was alarmed to hear Hermione making her way down to his laboratory. 'What is it, my love?' he asked, looking up worriedly.

Hermione smiled reassuringly. She immediately realised that her appearance had caused an erroneous conclusion. 'Nothing's wrong, Severus. But I've been talking to Harry, and I think you should join us for tea. He has something he wants to say to you, something that I think you really need to hear.'

Severus' brow arched in query. 'Hermione, I don't think...,' he began, but then with a sigh, he nodded. He could not deny that Potter and his beloved were close. If he was to ensure her continued happiness, then he would have to accept the fact that Potter would not fade out of his life as he so dearly hoped he would.

Hermione smiled. 'Come on, are you in the middle of something? Or can it be left for a while?'

'I was just looking through the stock levels,' said Severus dismissively. 'It's nothing that can't be done later.' He sighed in resignation. Then, pulling her into his arms, he growled rakishly, 'I expect a reward, pet, for playing nice with Potter.'

Hermione giggled softly before reaching up on her toes to kiss his displeased countenance. 'Don't worry, I'll reward you. Now, come on, before he gets cold feet and decides not to say what he wants to say.'

Severus sighed once more but released his hold on Hermione and followed her up the stairs. His eyes locked on her swaying hips, he allowed his mind to wonder on how he would be rewarded. Thus, when Severus followed Hermione into the sitting room, his eyes held a definite predatory gleam.

Harry, who had been staring intently at the door, had a moment to glimpse the expression before Severus' usual bored and faintly sneering expression fell like a mask over his face. Harry inwardly squirmed. Seeing Snape's overtly sexual perusal of Hermione had felt decidedly uncomfortable. The usual sneering facade was something he was much more comfortable with.

Standing up as they neared, Harry extended his hand. He had had time to think about how he wanted the meeting to proceed. It wasn't going to be easy, but he wanted to make a fresh start, one without the past's lingering effects.

Severus stared at Potter's outstretched hand with a frown in his face. A prod from Hermione forced him to accept it. As he did, Potter spoke.

'Good afternoon, Headmaster Snape. My name is Harry Potter. I'm a friend of Hermione's. It's a pleasure to meet you.'

Severus was completely thrown by the adult and unexpected greeting. Not one to be caught wrong footed, Severus immediately realised the path Potter was taking. Surprised at the maturity behind the move, Severus inclined his head. 'Mister Potter.'

Hermione could see that the men were tense and awkward with no clear way of how to proceed. It was obvious that Severus was waiting for Harry to make the next move. With a loud sigh, she said brightly, 'I'm going to make more tea. I'll be back in a couple of minutes.' She realised that leaving them alone might be the best way to move forward. With her there, they'd both be too awkward to say what needed to be said.

Severus nodded absently. Sitting down on the armchair, he forced himself to politely indicate that Potter retake his seat.

Harry sat down and silence reigned. He drew in a deep breath, and then said, 'I don't know if this is the right thing to say, or the right way to go about this. But, I'm not my father, my mother, or my godfather. I'm me. Harry. I love Hermione; she's the sister I've never had. I'd really like it if you could not see me as an extension of my parents or Sirius, but for who I am as a person.'

Severus nodded. Doing his best to control the illogical resentment that rose in his heart at hearing Potter openly declare his love for Hermione, Severus instead focused on the earnestness that could clearly be read in the young man's mature address. Despite his discomfort in finding himself confronted with Potter in a social situation, Severus acknowledged that James Potter or Sirius Black had never felt the need to apologise.

Snape's silence was rather intimidating, but Harry took it to be a good sign. Snape seemed to be listening, something Harry knew was important if he was to get his point across. 'Sir, I'd like to apologise for everything I've done over the years to make your life and your responsibilities more difficult. And although I'd like to apologise for the behaviour of my parents and Sirius, it isn't really my place to do so. But if it helps, I now know that they were not the blameless, perfect individuals I always thought they were. For Hermione's sake, can you please put our past behind us? Can we try, at least for her sake, to start anew?'

Severus sighed audibly. He was really uncomfortable with having Potter speak like this, but he could see that the boy had given a lot of thought to what he was saying. For Hermione's sake, he could not refuse the boy's clearly honest and earnest gesture. 'My name is Severus, Potter. If we are to let bygones be bygones, then you might as well get used to calling me by my name.'

Harry's face broke into a surprised, pleased and relieved grin. 'Only if you'll call me Harry, sir,' he said smilingly. 'When you call me Potter, I feel like I'm back at Potions class. Not a good memory.'

Severus grimaced. 'Indeed,' he said allowing his face to relax somewhat. 'The less we do to recall the fiasco of your Hogwarts days, the better.'

Harry laughed. 'My thoughts exactly.' Then, drawing all his courage together, he said, 'Thank you, Severus, for allowing me to come meet with Hermione.'

Severus' lips twitched at watching the play of emotions on Potter's face. He had not missed the gathering of strength the boy had needed before saying his given name. Realising, though, that he would now have to do he same, he inwardly grimaced at what he was willing to do for the woman he loved and said, 'You're welcome, Harry. She was keen to re-establish ties. It was safest and easiest to have the meeting here.'

Harry nodded. Silence reigned once again. Harry was feeling much more relaxed now that the hurdle of speaking to Snape, no, Severus, had passed. Searching for a neutral topic to fill the silence until Hermione returned from the kitchen, Harry said, 'You must have a slice of this cake, sir. It's amazingly good.'

Severus' lips twitched again. He inclined his head and reached for Hermione's discarded plate and cut himself a piece. Now that the ordeal of hearing Potter out was over, he was more than ready to be soothed by a slice of Kumarilata's magical cake.

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Hermione couldn't believe how well the meeting with Harry had gone. She had worried tremendously that Harry and Severus would not be able to sort out their relationship, but she'd been surprised to note, when she returned to the sitting room, that the two seemed to be seated in perfectly civil silence, demolishing her chocolate cake. Smiling in relief, she, too, cut herself a second slice and used the plate she'd brought with the fresh pot of tea on her tray.

Eventually, replete with cake, the three of them had attempted to make cautious conversation about the changes being made by Kingsley in the Ministry. It was a neutral yet totally absorbing topic, and it allowed both Harry and Severus to relax. Not long after, Severus had excused himself, claiming work, and Harry and she had returned to catching up on all their bits and pieces of news. Harry even listened, awestruck, to Hermione's narration of how she and Severus had helped the Longbottoms.

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Indeed, so buoyant was Hermione that when she got a letter from Ron asking her if she would agree to meet him for a meeting, she didn't hesitate in responding. She hoped against hope that it was him trying to apologise for his shoddy behaviour. She'd learned that he was making progress in controlling his inner darkness, and so she agreed to a meeting in Diagon Alley. She needed to go shopping for a special dress robe for the Summer Solstice. The Malfoys had invited Severus and her for a celebration that was, according to Severus, a tradition among the purebloods for a number of years. The shopping excursion, therefore, seemed like the perfect time to meet with Ron. Arranging to meet for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione had hoped that the more public setting would encourage the lanky red-head to behave in a more controlled manner.

The meeting, however, did not go to plan. Yes, Ron did apologise, but then, he pulled out his wand and surprised Hermione by casting a spell to reveal if she had been Imperioed.

Hermione was furious. Pulling out her own wand, she hexed him with itchy balls and pustulant boils on his arse. 'You bastard,' she cried. 'How dare you assume that there's something wrong with me for wanting to marry the bravest and best man I know? I hope the boils are especially painful,' she said spitefully.

'Bitch,' yelled Ron, jumping to his feet as the pain of the boils and the itchiness began to drive him crazy, especially because he couldn't do anything about the discomfort in public. 'I was only trying to help. You're a young witch; why you would want to spend your life with the greasy git is beyond me. But now I see that you're as vicious as he is; you deserve each other.'

'Thank you,' said Hermione sardonically. Forcing herself to remain seated despite her great desire to stand up and yell in return, she said coldly, 'I think so too. He is, after all, my soul-mate. If I am like him, it can only be to my advantage.'

When Ron had joined Hermione at the corner table that she occupied at the Leaky Cauldron, many of the patrons had openly stared. To see two known heroes of the magical world was always a treat. Thus, despite Hermione's desire for their meeting to be unobserved and uninteresting, for she had thought, what could be more mundane than two friends having a drink together, the subsequent spell-casting and hexing had garnered much attention. Furious with herself for not telling Severus about this meeting, for she was sure he would have insisted on being there, or as it had been with her meeting with Harry, doing it in a less public place, she willed herself to present a calm and unruffled demeanour. She wanted, more than anything, to rush out of the pub, but she knew that would cause even more of a scene. In a controlled tone of voice, she said frostily, 'Do take yourself off home, Ronald. I'm sure Molly will be more than happy to help you take care of your little problem.'

'Bitch,' said Ron again. He was now almost hopping as the pain was almost unbearable. 'I should never have written to you.'

'No,' said Hermione, with a sigh. 'You should never have assumed that you knew what was best for me. You should never have raised your wand to me without expecting me to retaliate. When you do explain to your family why you are going to be in this present condition for at least twenty-four hours...'

'Twenty-four hours!' interrupted Ron with a cry of horror. 'Merlin, you are a vindictive bitch.'

Hermione laughed sarcastically. She had learned much from Severus, for she sounded a lot like him. 'Think of it as a payback for all the pain and mortification you tried to cause me, Ronald.'

Muttering under his breath in pain and agony, Ron moved as swiftly as he could to Tom's fireplace from where he Flooed back home. It was obvious that he was in too much pain to continue the argument.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. She knew Molly would never forgive her, but the hex was something that could be undone without too much difficulty. In the meantime, the pain would be an apt punishment for the foolish man. Hermione could not resist a little chuckle. She knew that despite the simplicity of the reversal spell, it required a very precise wand movement, one that Hermione knew Molly could not do easily. Hermione figured that Molly would have to summon Bill or Arthur, and that would result in the whole story coming out. Feeling slightly appeased at the thought of Ron having to explain exactly why Hermione had hexed him, she finished her drink with a slight smirk on her face. Anyone who knew Severus would have been a little startled to see how much she resembled him in that moment.

Hermione couldn't believe Ron's cheek. But she realised that it was too much to expect him to behave like a sensible adult. He'd never been sensible. He'd always acted without thought when his feelings were involved.

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Percy had been sitting in another darkened corner when Hermione had arrived. He'd been gearing up his courage to approach the young woman when he saw his brother join her. Percy could only hope that his brother was finally growing up and learning to think, before he saw what happened. Deeply hurt and disgusted with his brother, he sighed before standing up. The time for Percival Weasley to ignore and avoid confrontation was past. He really had to do something.

Moving to Hermione, he did his best to smile reassuringly at the still obviously angry witch. 'Hello, Hermione,' he said mildly.

Hermione's eyebrows rose in a manner clearly copied from Snape.

Percy's own brows rose in surprise, and then, the Gryffindor's face blossomed into a familiar Weasley grin. In a manner that was sure to make the young woman think he was channelling his dead brother, Fred, Percy said cheekily, 'Fancy seeing you here.'

The jovial tone eased Hermione's ire and made her smile. 'I came to do some shopping and arranged to meet Ron. As you saw, that didn't go well.'

'No, indeed. I'm sorry my brother is such a prat.'

Percy looked extremely disappointed in his brother's behaviour, so much so that it looked to Hermione as though he wanted to physically shake some sense into Ronald's thick head.

Hermione smiled. She could well imagine Percy going home to relate the incident to his father. It was obvious now that the story would be narrated with accuracy. Feeling magnanimous and wanting the incident to be forgotten by the still avid audience, Hermione sighed softly and said, 'Why don't you join me for a drink? It'll stop the gossips if I'm seen to be still on good terms with at least one of the Weasleys. We can then just say that it was a spat between friends, nothing major to report as it were.'

Percy nodded. He could immediately see the sense in her decision. 'I'll just be a moment, Hermione,' he said, before returning to his table to retrieve his half pint of ale.

Once he returned, the two Gryffindors fell into a long established discussion of what they had recently been reading. Percy had been one of the few people Hermione had ever been able to discuss books with while a student. He may have been pompous, but he had taken his responsibilities as a prefect and then Head Boy seriously. He had always been happy to help the younger students, especially Gryffindors. During the first months of Hermione's time at Hogwarts, Percy had been a kindly presence who had ensured that she'd found her way around the library. Since then, they'd sporadically met and discussed their reading and their intellectual pursuits. Now, after years of not really having a chance to converse, the two mended their fences and sat down to an interesting half hour of conversation.

Finally though, Percy sighed and looked at his watch. 'I really need to get back to the office, Hermione. It's been wonderful talking to you. I'm really glad we've been able to put the past and my blinkered behaviour behind us.'

Hermione smiled and reached over and hugged Percy warmly. 'I'm glad too,' she said softly. 'It's nice that Voldemort hasn't been able to triumph by destroying our friendship.'

Then, standing up to walk out with Percy, Hermione said thoughtfully, 'I've been thinking. The best way we can ensure that we completely defeat Voldemort's reign is to make peace with the people who opposed us. If we continue to let his belief system prevent us from leaving the past in the past, he'll have won. We can't let that happen.'

Percy nodded. He could see her point of view. Convinced himself that she was right, he impulsively kissed Hermione on the cheek.

Hermione blushed, and then she laughed. All the patrons of the pub were still watching their interaction with interest. 'Give my love to Bill and your father,' said Hermione.

Then, with a last glance, she Apparated home. She had much to tell Severus.