Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When Minerva arrived, Severus had their usual tea service ready. He managed to eat a cucumber sandwich to keep her from haranguing him too much about his inadequate efforts at self-care. He nodded and hmmed in all the right places as she made small talk, and he even occasionally spared an actual comment.

Eventually, she asked, "What's this all about, Severus? You never call me to meetings on such short notice."

"I've been speaking with St. Mungo's. It appears they may have a course of treatment they believe will eliminate most, if not all, of my lingering symptoms from the final battle."

Minerva look surprised. "You mean you're finally considering it?"

"What do you mean, finally?"

"Severus, I've been after you for years to see what the Healers could do for you, but you never let me even finish the thought before telling me to drop it. What changed your mind after all this time?"

Severus took the opportunity to execute another step in his plan to convince Granger to stay – he had already asked her for advice; now he would let it be known that he listened to what she said. "Professor Granger explained the treatment; she assures me it's the current standard of care rather than experimental."

Minerva frowned. "Since when do you even hear anything Hermione says, never mind let it sway you?"

Severus frowned, too. "I haven't been that bad."

"You most certainly have! I'm surprised the girl has stood for it as long as she has. She could get a job anywhere, you know."

"So I'm told," Severus said dryly. "In any event, Professor Granger explained the treatment to my satisfaction, and I plan to go forward with it as soon as it can be arranged."

"How long will you be gone? Does the Board of Governors know?"

She seemed more excited than the situation warranted, Severus thought, but he didn't comment on it; instead, he simply answered her question. "I haven't informed them yet, but so long as you agree to cover anything urgent that comes up, I doubt they'll protest much."

Minerva leaned forward and patted his hand, which startled Severus into glaring at her until she subsided. "Well, of course, I'd be happy to do anything I can if it means you'll get well, Severus. How long will you be gone?"

"The Healer says I can expect to be hospitalised anywhere from a few days to no more than a week, depending on how quickly I respond to treatment."

"I'm sure we can muddle along without you for that long, Severus, especially if it means you'll return to us whole and healthy."

"You may not be so thrilled when I start delegating midnight rounds. Professor Granger cannot be expected to do all of them, can she?"

Minerva smiled. "Of course she can't, though I admit I'm surprised you realise that. If delegating meant you were actually sleeping, though, I daresay I'd be delighted."

Hermione was surprised when Minerva took Neville's usual seat beside her at dinner.

"Hermione, I must thank you for whatever you said that got Severus to listen to reason."

"Excuse me? Me? What did I do?" Hermione asked, feeling more than slightly bemused.

"I have no idea, but Severus tells me he's finally going to get the treatment we've all wanted him to get for years, and he says you convinced him. He's never even let us mention it, but apparently he was swayed by the information you gave him. You're such a dear girl – with the way he's treated you all these years, anyone else would have wished him ill and in pain forever."

Hermione was stunned. First he asked her opinion, and now he was publicly crediting her with influencing his decision? Something was definitely strange. Maybe she shouldn't have dismissed Neville's Polyjuice theory so quickly, she mused. "Has Professor Snape been behaving strangely recently?"

"Strangely?" Minerva asked. "Other than his decision to accept help? I don't think so ... Why do you ask?"

"He's been as rude and condescending and – and verbally abusive toward me as anyone could possibly be for every single minute of the time I've been back here. But today, he apologised for startling me at breakfast, asked me for information about this treatment at lunch, and apparently told you I've influenced him before dinner. That doesn't seem strange to you?"

"Well, perhaps a bit, dear," Minerva admitted, though somewhat reluctantly, "but I like to think Severus is capable of showing good sense eventually. He's generally stubborn right up until his mistakes slap him in the face, and then, once he changes his view, he's just as committed to his new opinion as he was to his old one. Look at all he did to atone after he realised his mistake in taking the Dark Mark."

"I suppose. But I don't think you can compare the Potters getting killed to me giving notice."

Minerva paled. "You gave notice? You're leaving Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I'm surprised he didn't tell you. I formally notified him yesterday that I'll leave Hogwarts when my contract expires at the end of the term."

"What did he say?"

"Last night he tried to goad me into an argument when I got back from Harry's; when I told him I would do my job but I wouldn't take any more of his vitriol, he said something about not accepting my resignation. I didn't stay to argue. It's not like he can keep me prisoner and force me to teach, after all."

"You left grounds on a weeknight? Without permission, I gather?" Miverva asked, and Hermione gave a nod of her head in reply. "That's grounds for disciplinary action, you know."

Hermione laughed. "I'm already leaving, and he's already made my life here as miserable as he could possibly manage. What exactly do you think he's going to do to make it worse? And now, for reasons known only to him, he seems to have decided to be almost pleasant. I can only assume he's rewarding me for giving him his heart's dearest desire by removing myself from his presence permanently."

Eight o'clock that evening found Severus once again sipping some of Lucius's finest brandy as they discussed developments. "I'll be going to St. Mungo's for treatment as soon as it can be arranged. Minerva will handle anything urgent that might come up."

"Let me be sure I understand you. I tell you to devote your efforts to persuading Granger to sign a new contract, and you decide to leave for a week? How is that going to get you in her good graces?" Lucius asked, before taking another sip of brandy.

"Well, she's made it clear she's not going to trust a sudden about-face in my behaviour toward her unless I give her a reason that makes sense to her. Getting the treatment provides me with a believable excuse for my past behaviour – I was sick and in pain. Given her penchant for championing the downtrodden, I suspect if I manage to treat her cordially henceforth, she'll be willing to accept the very sincere apology I intend to offer. Furthermore, I've let it slip to Minerva that it was Granger who persuaded me to accept the treatment in the first place. That will certainly stroke her ego. And I've also begun hinting that I might not accept her resignation as readily as she expects."

"Hmmm. That could work, I suppose. Are you sure it wouldn't be better to just let her think you've seen the light based on her having said she tendered her resignation because of your treatment of her?"

"Lucius, she almost provoked me into arguments last night and again today, even though I had every intention of charming her as you suggested. I've realised no one can be expected to be polite in the face of such provocation when exhausted and in pain. It's completely unreasonable to think she won't goad me into losing my temper with her if I try to charm her while I still feel lousy."

"All right," Lucius agreed. "But you'd better make sure your kinder, gentler image doesn't slip once you're back at Hogwarts. You won't have your ailments as an excuse anymore once they've cured you, you know."

"I'm well aware of that, Lucius. Thank Merlin it will only be until I convince her to sign the damned contract."

"Right, although you might want to consider whether it would be easier to remain cordial than to deal with the same situation again in a few years. She'll be even less trusting next time around."

"Don't remind me," Severus muttered, somewhat bitterly, before raising his glass to his lips once more.

The owl arrived just as Severus was getting ready to Floo back to Hogwarts. Lucius frowned. "Who could be writing so late?"

"That's a school owl," Severus observed. The parchment dropped in Lucius's lap, and Severus groaned. "That woman! Can I not find a moment's peace away from her?"

"What woman? How do you even know it's from a woman? I haven't opened it yet."

"I still have nightmares about the seemingly endless feet of parchment I was forced to read from her. I would probably know Granger's handwriting at a hundred paces."

"Granger? Excellent. Let's just see what she says." Lucius opened the parchment and began reading aloud. "Dear Lucius,"

"She calls you Lucius?" Severus interrupted.

"Well, naturally. That is my name."

"I can't believe you encourage such informality with a Muggleborn."

"Times have changed, my friend. I am nothing if not adaptable, and she is an excellent ally, as I've been trying to tell you for the last two days. Now, do you want to hear what she has to say or not?"

"Oh, I'm all aflutter with anticipation. I can barely restrain my excitement."

"No need to be sarcastic, though I suppose I ought to expect it from you by now."

"Just read the bloody letter, Lucius."

"No need to be crude, either." He cleared his throat for effect. "Dear Lucius, I'm not sure if Headmaster Snape informed you of my resignation, which I tendered last evening. He's made noises about not accepting it (though I don't see how he expects to force me to stay at Hogwarts once my contract expires), and has been behaving very strangely, indeed, for the last twenty-four hours. I confess I have no idea what to make of this sudden change in his behaviour, and I wondered if you might be able to shed some light on the situation. Could I persuade you to meet me in Hogsmeade this weekend to discuss my concerns? Very truly yours, Hermione Granger."

"The gall of that girl! Complaining about my behaviour to my oldest friend! And she obviously isn't worried about the trouble she'd be landing me in if I hadn't told you of her attempted resignation!"

"Severus," Lucius began.

"And just what does she mean, 'behaving very strangely'? I've been behaving perfectly, I'll have you know!"

"Severus –"

"And what does she expect to learn from you? Why is she writing to you, anyway? Are you quite sure there's nothing going on between you that I ought to know about?"

"Severus, calm down," Lucius ordered. "I'm starting to see Granger's point. You're completely irrational where she's concerned. First of all, no, there is nothing between Granger and me beyond a cordial professional relationship. Second, she's writing to me because you've apparently been treating her so horribly for the past few years that even showing her the minimal level of courtesy you accord everyone else seems completely out of character to her. Third, she realises she doesn't think the way you or I do, and in her very Gryffindor way, she is forthrightly asking me to help her interpret something she doesn't understand. Honestly, Severus, the way you're carrying on, I'd almost think you had a crush on the girl."

Stunned silence filled the room before Severus exploded. "A crush? Have you completely lost your mind?"

"Of course not. I'm pointing out that you haven't been this irrational about anyone since Lily Evans – you've convinced yourself she blackmailed you, for Merlin's sake! Unless she came right out and said, 'Give me the job or I'll reveal your deepest, darkest secrets,' I promise you, she wasn't blackmailing you – she's just not that subtle. It was your own paranoia that drove you to that conclusion." Severus wanted to argue, but Lucius didn't pause for breath. "Now, I'm telling you to pull yourself together and get to work convincing the woman you won't continue to make her miserable if she stays at Hogwarts. Meanwhile, I shall accept her invitation and help her understand that you've seen the light and want to make amends."

"This had better work, Lucius. And you had better be right about the blackmail. The last thing I need is to have her disclose everything I hired her to keep quiet."