15

Thanks to Ayerf and Septentrion! *smooches*

Both Snape and Hermione were fully ensconced in their research when the fire flared green. The two raised their heads in unison, and Hermione shrank out of the fireplace's line of sight. Snape waved his wand, lowering the ward he'd placed on the Floo, and McGonagall's head appeared.

"Headmaster," she said, sounding primmer than usual. "I have the Transfiguration curriculum you demanded to see."

"Excellent. You may bring it through."

Hermione came out of hiding, still gripping her book to her chest as the fire twirled and Minerva stepped out, brushing her robes automatically while looking around. She visibly relaxed after her cursory inspection and offered the other two a tight smile.

"It took a bit of searching, but the Grey Lady should be visiting you after the Carrows have gone to bed."

Snape nodded. "Thank you, Minerva. I trust there were no issues in receiving the message?"

"Fortunately, the Carrows aren't in the habit of taking evening tea with me anymore."

Hermione fought showing her surprise when Snape sniggered. "No, I imagine they aren't fond of what you served."

McGonagall's eyes twinkled merrily. "Kibble isn't to everyone's taste, I grant you, but it was the finest kibble in Scotland!"

She and Snape shared a look before breaking down in laughter.

"Oh, Severus, it is so good to have you back."

Snape leaned back in his chair. Hermione couldn't quite read his expression, but it seemed guarded again. "I'm surprised you missed me at all. I was gone hardly a week before you yourself left."

McGonagall waved his comment away. "You know very well what I mean, young man. I am glad our faith in you - our prior faith in you," she added at a sour look from Snape, "was merited. It hurt terribly to think the headmaster had been fooled."

"And it didn't hurt to think you'd been fooled?"

"Severus Snape..." McGonagall pursed her lips with a huff. "Of course it hurt personally, but it hurt far more to think that we had placed our trust in Dumbledore if he could be fooled so easily."

Snape snorted. "Trust me, Minerva, there is nothing easy about deceiving."

"No, I imagine there isn't," she said softly.

A stubborn silence descended before Hermione lost patience and moved toward her chair. She placed the book on the desk, making McGonagall twitch visibly.

"Sorry if I startled you, Professor."

McGonagall shook her head. "I owe you an apology, Miss Granger. Severus and I have been carrying on as if no one else was around. Please do come join us."

Hermione saw Snape raise his eyebrow at McGonagall. "I believe it is my office, Minerva. I should be the one offering the invitations."

McGonagall waved his words aside again. "Yes, but we both know you're hopeless when it comes to social graces with the students."

Snape opened his mouth to retort, but closed it again when Hermione said, "He's been very gracious to me, Professor."

McGonagall opened her mouth, looking flustered, when Snape, surprisingly, came to her rescue. "Ah, but you aren't a student right now, are you Miss Granger?"

Both women nodded in concession, rather sheepishly.

Hermione thought Snape looked amused, but his voice betrayed nothing when he switched topics and asked McGonagall whether she'd had any luck talking with the rebelling students.

"I had a quick word with Mr. Creevey, but I didn't have time for much warning or instruction. I did suggest that careful planning would be advisable."

Snape's mouth twisted. "I suppose that's all that can be expected. I assume they've all disappeared?"

McGonagall nodded. "The dormitories are empty."

"Good."

Hermione looked between the two teachers, confused.

"The students are gone?"

"In hiding, yes," McGonagall said distractedly.

"But... where?"

Snape grinned. "I have not tried to confirm it, but my guess is the Room of Requirement?"

McGonagall nodded. "I believe so." She saw Hermione was still confused and explained. "The Carrows have brought with them a rather barbaric standard for punishing children. After the first serious hospital visit – a first year Hufflepuff who nearly died – the students began hiding each other. I believe Mr. Longbottom is the official leader of the rebellion, but I think it was Miss Weasley who thought to use the Room as a sanctuary. Mostly it's used by those students who are particularly active in the rebellion, as they are the ones at most risk now. Needless to say, most of the students who take refuge there are either Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs."

"Hufflepuffs?" Hermione said in surprise, before she could stop herself.

"Fierce loyalty is not something to be trifled with, Miss Granger," Snape said with a wry smile.

"Of course. I just..."

"Was overwhelmed with Gryffindor superiority? I know."

Hermione and McGonagall both huffed, though rather half-heartedly.

"So, do the students come out at all?"

"A few don't dare anymore. Mr. Longbottom, for example, is supposed to be brought before Severus for immediate and severe punishment should he be captured. I dare say he wouldn't survive the encounter, as there's no political merit to his survival, unlike with Miss Lovegood."

Hermione looked at Snape in time to see him wilt just a little. Not much, but the burden became obvious, and it was heartbreaking to see.

"How do they do it?" Hermione mused, as much to herself as to the teachers.

"The castle was built with sieges in mind. I do not doubt there is an emergency exit hidden nearby, or possibly even within, that room."

"But food?"

Snape smiled with what looked like true satisfaction. "The house-elves take orders from me, not the Carrows."

Hermione blinked. She then shook her head slowly. "Amazing. And yet, I imagine that every single one of them hates you more than they hate Vo-- Snake Face."

"Which is as it should be. They have been carefully trained to see me as the villain. I do not want them seeing me as anything else."

Hermione accepted this, but still looked down with a frown. "Still," she said to her hands, "it must be terrible living that role."

"Sentimentality, Miss Granger."

She snorted, but nodded and looked up, meeting his eye with a wry smile. "Yes. Can't forget you truly are a bastard, can we?"

"Never."

They shared a smile, though soon remembered they had an audience, an audience who looked terribly intrigued, though slightly suspicious.

Snape rolled his eyes. "You can relax, Minerva. I have not touched your cub, nor do I plan to."

"And has she touched you?"

Snape and Hermione both gaped, wide-eyed at the old witch. "NO!" they cried in unison.

She chuckled. "That's good, then."

"Minerva, so help me..."

"Oh, save it for the Death Eaters, you scoundrel," she replied with a soft smile.

Snape shook his head, looking disgusted, though Hermione couldn't tell if he was disgusted, or merely trying not to smile.

She didn't really have time to think about it, however, because in the next moment the ghost of a beautiful woman slipped into the room, curtseying to all of them.

"You wished to see me, Headmaster?" she said stiffly.

"Yes. Thank you for coming, my lady."

McGonagall stood. "Should I leave?"

Snape thought for a moment before shaking his head. "You are my eyes and ears now."

Minerva smiled, and Hermione noticed her eyes had a rather misty look to them as she sat back down and turned her attention to the Grey Lady. Hermione tried to give the ghost her attention, but found her eyes kept veering back to Snape.

"My lady, I was wondering if you might be able to help us. We are looking for Ravenclaw's diadem and thought perhaps you might know of its whereabouts."

The Grey Lady paused a fraction too long before saying, "I cannot help you."

"Cannot or will not."

"I have no knowledge of where it now resides."

"So you once knew?"

A cold, bitter smile crossed the lady's face. "Yes."

Snape took a breath in and released it slowly. "My Lady, it is imperative we find the diadem. Without it, the war is lost."

"I care not whether your lord wins."

"Do you care if he is defeated?" Hermione cut in, seeing Snape's face grow taut.

The Grey Lady looked down at her, and Hermione was forcefully reminded of Narcissa Malfoy. She fought the urge to sneer back.

"I would like nothing better than to see him suffer for all he has done."

"Wonderful! Then please tell us what you know of the diadem. We need it to help destroy him."

"The wisdom it bestows is unlikely to help you win a war."

Hermione shook her head impatiently. "We don't want to use it, but it's essential that we find it."

"I cannot help you."

"I understand you don't know where it is, but anything you can tell us could be of use. I mean, where did you last see it?"

The Grey Lady looked down at all of them, then said, keeping her eyes on Hermione, "He," she flicked her hand toward Snape, "wears the mark of his lord. I will not tell you."

"Why? He is loyal to Dumbledore. And to us."

"I will not tell him."

She turned to leave, when Hermione sprang up and shouted, "Stop!" The ghost paused. "Please, will you tell Professor McGonagall and me?"

The Grey Lady paused before looking over her shoulder and saying, "You are wasting your time." She then disappeared through the stone wall.

Hermione gaped at the wall, irrational anger rising in her. "Of all the unhelpful... just..." she spluttered, becoming incoherent. A light touch on her fist brought her attention back to the room in general, and Snape in particular.

"It is to be expected, Hermione," he said, withdrawing his hand. "She is just trying to protect Hogwarts."

"From you, you mean." Hermione didn't know whether she was angrier at the Grey Lady for her attitude of superiority or at Snape for his blithe acceptance of everyone's expectations of villainy.

She shook her head and tried to breathe through the anger, though she felt her face take on a pugnacious look.

"She knows something. I know it."

"But whether that information would be of use to us is another matter," Snape pointed out caustically. "We know several things, after all, but none of them is the location."

Hermione pursed her lips and leaned back in her chair. "Fair enough. But surely the more information we have, the clearer the picture?"

She noticed Snape and McGonagall sharing a look and pressed herself further back into the chair, unamused.

McGonagall got up. "I can't think of anything to offer at the moment, so I will hie myself away to bed. Should you have any tasks, please let me know," she said to Snape. She rested a hand on Hermione's shoulder for a moment, saying, "We will prevail."

Hermione clenched her jaw to prevent herself from saying anything she might regret. As it was, she was rather overwhelmed with disappointment.

She did not look up to watch McGonagall disappear through the Floo, though she heard the flames roar to life then quieten. She instead sat and stewed

She had been so certain that the ghost would be the key to locating the diadem, but instead, it was another dead end. It was almost more frustrating than running around with no leads whatsoever. Almost.

With that perspective, she took another deep breath and raised her head.

"Done sulking?" Snape asked sarcastically.

"No, but I can put it off till later."

"Good." Snape hesitated. "Minerva may be right, for all her idiotic Gryffindor sentimentality. We are close to the end."

Hermione smiled bitterly. "Yes. So very close."

Snape handed her book back to her, but she shook her head. "The answer isn't in there. I think Professor McGonagall has the right idea. I'm going to go get some sleep."

She felt Snape's eyes on her as she made her way to the bedroom, but couldn't bring herself to look at him. She couldn't bear even one more dram of disappointment from the day.