Letter 34: Hermione Granger to Victor Krum, 31st August 2000

A/N: For simplicity’s sake, titles of books, journals etc are underlined and emphases are italicised. In reviving the old tradition of epistolary novels, I understand the plot may be a little slow, laborious and difficult to follow. Some might consider it AU and a little OOC.

In order not to weary the reader’s patience, a number of letters from the series of correspondences have been suppressed; those only have been given which appeared necessary to a complete understanding of the events in this group. For the same reason, some letters from the actors in the events of this drama have also been suppressed.

Proestigium or What the Seasons may Bring

Letter 34: Hermione Granger to Victor Krum, 31st August 2000

Hermione Jane Granger,

Hogwarts Castle,

Potions’ Office,

The Dungeons,

Scotland,

United Kingdom.

31st August 2000

Dear Victor,

I have not written because I had nothing worth reporting. You hardly reply to my messages on the Krum action figure anyway. What can I say about your broken arm? You deserve it for carrying out your version of the Wronski Feint or whatever it was. The human body has its limits, you daft Quidditch-crazed fellow! You know, if it were not for your recent accident, I do not think you would have bothered to contact me via the Krum action figure. Really, Victor, what sort of friend are you?

Hogwarts is still more or less the same. It is a little awkward inhabiting Professor Snape’s private chambers. I somehow get the feeling that he’s still in the dungeons, which is an asinine thought because I know he is not. Professor Dumbledore informed that Professor Snape has retired to his house in Leicestershire. Apparently, the man has decided to devote his life to writing and research. Isn’t that a glorious dream? Who wouldn’t want to be a perpetual student? All right, don’t laugh at me. It’s my fantasy, not yours. You, Ron and Harry wouldn’t want to perpetual students even if someone paid you.

I have almost settled back in and the students will be here tomorrow evening. Everyone is so very kind to me that it makes me feel quite uncomfortable. I wonder whether Professor Snape’s constant scowls were due to similar discomfiture. He was supposed to instruct me on the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ of teaching Potions, but he could not tear himself away from his work. And I think I know why. He wants to avoid me – not because I was an insufferable know-it-all, but for another reason. Victor, I will tell you something and you must not tell me that I am being stupid.

Professor Snape’s office was supposedly cleared of everything that was his. A post owl from him arrived as soon as I had unpacked. The letter was nothing more than a detailed lecture plan for the students from First Year to the Seventh. It differed very little from the syllabus of our time and was a great help. It also told me where to find his private Potions workspace. As is typical of all Professor Snape’s notes to non-Slytherins, there were a few lines of scathing instructions in his inimitable style that I will not reproduce here. As I proceeded to move some of my papers to the office desk, I accidentally triggered a secret compartment in the desk by crossing my legs and knocking my knee against the bottom of the top drawer. Professor Snape must have forgotten the secret compartment some time ago because its contents were covered by a thin layer of dust. Victor, among those papers were draft letters addressed to me from Arsenius Jigger. There was even one that he had cancelled because he signed S. Snape instead of A. Jigger. That’s not all – I also found an unposted letter addressed to Mr J.Alfred Prufrock, in which he all but reveals that he cares for me.

Do you know what this means, Victor? Severus Xenophon Arsenius Snape IS Arsenius Jigger. I should have seen it! I should have made pains to uncover his initials –but did I? NO! I only discovered them when I came across an old yearbook in a forgotten corner of the Hogwarts library today. How obtuse I am! I studied with him for nine years and I was too blind to notice it. I had all the clues before me: the stylistic similarities in their teaching methods, Jigger’s knowledge of my work, and his knowing hints of what I did to his private stores. These past five years when I was chastely loving Dr Jigger from afar, it was Severus Snape all the long! This explains why Jigger inculcated in me a desire not to be distracted by conventional love! I feel so incredibly obtuse! Curse this eros!

I shall write to him. That’s the only way to resolve this. I’ll tell you how it pans out.

Best wishes,

Hermione

Footnotes

Proestigium is Latin for illusion. Ironically, the English word Prestige derives from it.

My interpretation of eros is Platonic. Eros is the pursuit of beautiful things, not erotic love. Beautiful things are often intangible to philosophers – such things include knowledge, virtue and honour. How one defines these things is another matter altogether.

Sometime ago, a reader asked me what the ‘A’ in Severus’s initials meant. Well, now you know.

The next letter features a journal article with a hidden message. If you wish to crack it, kindly inform me and I will refrain from posting the message solution…

I understand that the journal articles leave some of my readers high and dry, so to speak. But understand that they are necessary to the progression of the plot. As we progress to the final denouement, Severus and Hermione will no longer be corresponding with one another. The only mode of communication left to our favourite know-it-all is journal articles.