Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Minerva and Hermione stood in the Transfiguration classroom. Minerva waved her wand and conjured a goblet out of thin air.

"Now, Hermione, please explain to me how to perform this spell as if I were a student."

Hermione thought for a moment. This was one of the harder abilities mastered in Transfiguration. She would need to be able to teach it to her N.E.W.T. level students. After gathering her thoughts, she began to explain the theory behind the spell.

"When one is about to conjure an object, there must be a distinct picture in one's mind of what is to be conjured." She glanced up at Minerva. "It's sort of like Animagus transformation!" she rambled excitedly.

Minerva smiled and nodded. She motioned for Hermione to continue her lesson.

"Once the object is fixed in the mind, you should do the wand motions. Make sure that these are well memorized. It should feel like second nature to do these movements, not something that you have to think about every second."

Minerva nodded again.

Hermione extended her wand. "The movements are thus: Raise your wand about two inches, swirl it twice in a clockwise circular pattern, keeping the circles small and tight, and then flick the wand towards the area where you want the object to appear. The incantation is pronounced Inanimatus Conjurus. It can be cast verbally or silently. As we move along with Conjuring Spells, we will learn certain spells that pertain to the conjuring of specific items, such as Aguamenti to conjure water."

Hermione lowered her wand and looked expectantly at McGonagall.

Minerva smiled. "That was well explained, Hermione. However, you forgot one important aspect of teaching."

Hermione looked at Minerva in puzzlement. "What did I forget, Minerva?"

"You must have me practice the spell, Hermione!"

Hermione giggled. "But... you just cast the spell, Minerva. I thought it would be silly to have you practice something you could do in your sleep."

"Pish-posh, Hermione. You are the teacher right now. I am the student. Teach me as if I were learning this task for the first time."

Hermione blushed. "Very well." She paused and extended her wand again. "All right, Miss McGonagall, please extend your wand. We will practice the movements only."

Minerva extended her wand. Hermione showed her once what to do, and then asked her to mimic her movements. Minerva purposefully made some errors, which Hermione was quick to correct. Soon the two were swishing and flicking in unison.

"All right, Miss McGonagall," Hermione continued, barely suppressing a giggle. "Let's try the incantation without the wand motions. Repeat after me... Inanimatus Conjurus."

Minerva repeated the spell, but butchered the pronunciation. Hermione laughed.

"Never laugh at your students' attempts, Hermione," Minerva chided.

"Oh, but... I was..." Hermione frowned. "You're right. This is a teaching moment, and I need to take it seriously. Sorry, Headmistress."

Minerva gave Hermione a small smile. "I know you were joking because we are colleagues, Hermione. I have, however, heard worse pronunciations, and it truly is hard not to laugh at times like that. You should be careful not to hurt the feelings of your students."

Hermione nodded.

"Continue, Hermione."

"That wasn't bad, Miss McGonagall, except the stress is on the 'ah' of Inanimatus. Also, the second 'i' is pronounced more like an 'e,' and it's 'conjooroos,' not conjaras. Please repeat it again... Inanimatus Conjurus."

"Inanimatas Conjurus."

"Good, you fixed what I asked, but there was one other mistake. If we're not precise in our incantations, things could go very wrong in our spell work. The correct pronunciation of the first word is 'Inaneematoos'. Try that with me slowly. Innnannneeemmaattooos. Good, now try it by yourself, spoken at regular speed."

"Inanimatus."

"Excellent, Miss McGonagall. Let's combine the incantation with the wand movements, but don't cast the spell just yet."

They practiced together several times over.

"Good. Now let's try the spell. Before casting, picture the goblet in your mind. See every facet of it. Is it gold? Silver? Does it have any decorations on it? See those in your mind." She looked over at McGonagall. "Do you have it in your mind?" she asked.

Minerva nodded.

"All right. Go ahead and cast the spell."

Minerva did so, and a golden goblet appeared on the table, identical to the one she'd conjured before. She lowered her wand and looked at Hermione.

"You really explain things well, Hermione. You will be a wonderful instructor."

"Thank you, Minerva. I appreciate your help."

"That's probably enough practice for today. I'll see you again tomorrow."

"Minerva, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, dear."

"Would it be all right if I went to Hogsmeade during the dinner hour?"

"You know the rules, Hermione. You need to be present at that meal."

"I know, but what if I brought someone along... another faculty member? Maybe someone who really needs to get out and pull himself out of the deep depression he's fallen into... Would that be acceptable?"

Minerva regarded Hermione sagely. "He really doesn't want anyone's company, Hermione, but if you can convince him to accompany you, I think it would be wonderful. He truly needs something to lift his spirits."

Hermione smiled. "He does. I hope he accepts my invitation."

"I wish you luck. You'll need it!"

Hermione nodded and thanked the Headmistress. Soon she was out of the classroom and on her way to seek out a certain dour wizard's company.

Hermione knocked on Severus' door. No one answered. She knocked again. No answer.

"Severus... I need your help," she called through the door.

Waiting... It wasn't her strong point. Finally, the door swung open, and the raised eyebrow of Severus Snape greeted her.

"Oh good, you're home."

"You expected me to be somewhere else?" Severus drawled.

"Well, I know you're a busy man."

"Yes, I am. Perhaps you could tell me what it is you want instead of yammering at me about nothing."

Hermione shifted her weight back and forth on her feet. "Could I ask a favor of you?"

Severus scowled. "Hermione, I'm not sure who you think I am, but I'm not one to dole out favors."

"Would you accompany me to Hogsmeade for dinner?"

Severus' eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I beg your pardon?"

"Dinner, Severus, at Hogsmeade. Would you like to join me?"

"How is this a favor to you?"

She shifted nervously again. "I'm going stir crazy, and I've only been here a couple of days. I asked Minerva if I could go into Hogsmeade for dinner, and she quoted that silly rule about being at meals. The only way she'll let me go is if I go with someone else."

"So, you are asking me to go with you?" Severus said incredulously.

"Yes."

"You realize I'm not good company?"

Hermione laughed. "Perhaps as part of the favor you're doing for me, you could try to be decent company?"

Severus scowled. "Why me? I'm sure Hagrid is available."

Hermione shrugged. "I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment."

"First you ask a favor of me, and then you insult me. Are you drunk?"

"I don't drink, Severus. Please, just come. You've been cooped up in this castle far longer than I have. I thought you might enjoy getting away just as much as I would."

Something flitted across Severus' face. Hermione, if she had to describe it, would say it looked like trepidation. Within an instant his face was the emotionless mask that it usually was.

"Very well, but you owe me, Professor Granger!" he told her as his finger pointed into her face.

Hermione grinned broadly. "Let me just Floo Minerva and tell her we'll both be absent for dinner. May I use your fireplace?"

"You are awfully demanding, aren't you?"

Hermione gave him an innocent look. "I asked politely. Thank you."

She brushed past him and was soon talking to Minerva. The older witch seemed pleased and gave them her blessing immediately. After telling Minerva good-bye, Hermione pulled her head out of the fireplace and turned to Severus.

"Everything is set. When do you want to go?" she asked him.

Without a word, Severus walked past her and over to a coat rack. He pulled a traveling cloak off it and placed it over his shoulders. Tying it securely around his neck, he turned back to Hermione.

"I am ready now."

They walked silently into Hogsmeade. Severus skulked along, his head down. Hermione glanced at him occasionally, but couldn't think of anything to say. It seemed to take forever to get to the tiny town. The closer they got, the more agitated Severus seemed to become. He lifted his head and glared at anyone who passed by. He seemed to look startled as the townsfolk hurried by with nary a glance in his direction.

Hermione wondered at his behavior. "They won't bite, you know," she said finally.

Severus' head snapped around so he could glare at her. "What are you talking about?"

"The people walking by. You look at them as if they are going to attack you. To be honest with you, I don't think most people even notice what's going on around them. And if they did, they certainly wouldn't be mean to you."

"Granger, your bleeding-heart belief in the goodness of all people is heartwarming, but I am fully aware of what people think of me."

Hermione frowned, but decided to let the matter drop. They continued to walk along silently. Suddenly, they were approached by a woman. Her hand grabbed Hermione's.

"Hermione Granger!" the woman exclaimed. "And Severus Snape! Oh, my. I can't thank you both enough for everything you did to defeat You-Know-Who," she gushed as she shook Hermione's hand furiously. She turned to Severus and grabbed his hand, almost dislocating it with the fervor of her handshake.

Severus glared down at the offensive hand, then his scowl softened. He looked up into the woman's eyes.

"To think, that madman almost killed you after all you secretly did for us!"

Severus' eyes widened in amazement. The woman continued pumping his hand up and down until she gazed down and looked slightly startled.

"Oh, I wish there were something we could do for the two of you to show our thanks!" she continued, rambling on and on about how wonderful the two of them were.

"Really, we just did what we thought was best," Hermione countered, trying to dismiss the woman politely. She could tell Severus was very flustered by the whole affair. "Thank you, though. You don't know how much it means to hear you say what you did."

The woman blushed and laughed a little. "I have to apologize, Mr. Snape," she said, turning to Severus. "We all thought you were a cold-blooded murderer! Oh, that Dumbledore! He could really fool anyone, couldn't he?"

Hermione smiled tightly and nodded. "Really, ma'am, we must get going."

"Oh! Of course!" the woman cried with a wave of her hand. "I'll let you get on your way. Thank you again! We are all indebted to the both of you."

With that, she sauntered off down the street, leaving Severus practically gaping after her as Hermione carefully studied his reaction.

"I hate to say I told you so, but..." Hermione began.

Severus whipped around, his finger pointing at her. "Don't say a word!"

Hermione laughed and began walking again. In a few seconds, Severus came up alongside her, his head down once again.

"You do realize that most of our world feels the same about you? Once the truth came out, people began to see who you really are."

Severus stopped and turned to her. "And who am I? I am not some superhero! I did what was necessary. I did it, as you now well know, for Lily."

"Yes, of course. Simply for Lily." She looked up at Severus and met his eyes. "You know, I understand you loved her and that she was a motivating factor in what you did, but I honestly have a hard time believing that it was all for her and her alone."

Severus' eyes narrowed at her. "What if it was?"

She shook her head. "I just don't believe that. Severus, you went through too much for this all to have been some penance for a misspoken word in your youth."

"You seem to have forgotten that I killed her."

She gave a wry chuckle at that. "Voldemort killed her. You just reported what you heard."

"Which, without hearing, he'd have never gone after her."

Hermione shook her head again. "Severus, they were Order members. Anything could have happened to them. Your discovery of the prophecy probably just sped things along. Now, would you like to tell me why else you fought against Voldemort so faithfully?"

Severus glared at her. She glared right back, daring him to back off. Surprisingly, he did. "Once I realized just how demented the Dark Lord was, I set out to keep that madman from destroying our freedoms," he said softly.

Hermione gave a quick nod. "Thank you for being truthful," she told him as she turned and headed for the Three Broomsticks. It took a little longer for Severus to catch up with her this time, but he did. She smiled to herself as they made their way down the street and entered the pub. They made their way to a table and soon had two mugs of butterbeer in front of them.

Hermione looked up at Severus. Trying to smooth out the tension from their previous conversation, she took a sip of butterbeer and began to speak.

"You know," she mused, "I would have thought you'd have gotten yourself as far away from teaching as possible."

Severus scoffed. "Yes, well, if I had my way, I would never set foot into Hogwarts again. However, the terms of my hearing forbid me from leaving my position."

Hermione pretended to be unaware of the situation. "You're kidding me. After all you've done, Severus, why can't they just leave you alone?"

Severus leaned closer to Hermione. "Because I am an untrustworthy, ruthless, ex-Death Eater," he spat. "I will never be looked upon with any regard. I am forced to bow to the Ministry's demands or suffer the consequences."

Hermione folded her arms in front of her and huffed. Just then, Rosmerta came by and asked what they would like to eat. They ordered quickly and continued their conversation.

"Can't anything be done?" Hermione asked plaintively.

Severus relaxed and sat back. He was surprised that Hermione seemed to even care whether or not he was trapped in a job he hated. He stared at her for a while before answering. She gazed back, seemingly unaffected by his silence or his glaring.

"I believe everything that can be done has already been tried. I am stuck at Hogwarts for five years. At the end of that term, I will supposedly be able to do whatever I wish, but I wouldn't doubt that some other stipulation will keep me from truly being free."

Hermione looked angry. "That's simply not fair. You, of all people, deserve the Ministry's praise, not their disdain."

Severus stared at her in disbelief. If there were someone who he'd thought would support him, Hermione Granger was certainly not that person. Yet she was seemingly outraged at his plight. Not only that, she'd seen through him to know it wasn't just the love of an unattainable woman that had kept him going in the war effort. He wondered if perhaps he'd underestimated the woman. Maybe he'd grouped her in with her cohorts a bit too quickly.

His thoughts were interrupted by her speaking again. "If you'd like, I can speak to Kingsley for you," Hermione suggested.

Severus scowled. "That won't be necessary." The last thing he needed was help from her!

Hermione looked at him for a long while and then gave him a quick nod. "All right. Whatever you feel is best."

Their food arrived, and they tucked in. The table was silent again as they ate quietly. The silence, however, was not awkward, as it had been on their walk. It was just the quiet of two people eating together and being at ease in each other's company.

The meal had ended, and the couple had returned to Hogwarts. Hermione now sat alone in her room, staring into the fire. The evening had been quite pleasant. She found that even though Severus had been quiet at first, he hadn't been in a depressed mood. He just seemed to not know what to say to her.

Now that they had spent some time together, she found that Severus Snape was quite interesting. They had found things to talk about, and she had found him to be incredibly well-read on a series of topics. Instinctively she knew that if they wanted to, they would be able to chat for hours, never tiring of new subjects. That made her smile. It was quite nice to find someone as well-versed in everything. Her knowledge and ability to make intelligent conversation with him made her feel more of an equal to him than anything else could have.

All in all, the evening had been what she'd hoped it would be. Severus had seen a positive reaction to him from a total stranger, loosened up a bit, and seemed to forget the things that were constantly dragging him down... at least for a little while. Hopefully she had helped him to feel a little better about himself in general.

Severus sat in front of his fireplace, staring into it with unseeing eyes. His evening with Hermione Granger had gone much better than he'd expected. From the shock of having a stranger thank him and wish him well, to the unexpectedly intelligent conversation he'd had with Hermione, the night had been quite enjoyable.

The know-it-all girl had turned into a lovely woman, one who wasn't constantly trying to please everyone. She'd grown into a woman who was comfortable with herself. He suspected that her sojourn in the woods with Potter and Weasley had caused her to do a lot of growing up. Somewhere in that time, she'd realized that life wasn't just about being able to recite textbooks verbatim. It had pleased him to no end to find he could have a conversation with her on various topics on which she could definitely hold her own.

His eyebrows came together as he frowned. Did it really matter in the long run that he could converse with her? She would not be seeking him out for any more dazzling discussions on anything in the near future.

Why had she even asked him to accompany her anyway? She didn't seem the type to fall all over someone in hero-worship, so that couldn't be it. He was sure the only reason she'd asked him along was because she pitied him. She was a bleeding-heart, always trying to fix things.

Just a project, then. Unfortunate... she was actually quite good company. Now that she's seen how I really am, though, she'll not have a desire to burden herself with my presence. He sighed heavily. Too bad. It was nice to not think of how awful I am for a couple of hours.

A/N: Many thanks to my beta, slytherinlaurel. She's awesome, and I appreciate all her help.