The Last Supper

Enter standard disclaimer here:

Chapter 13: The Last Supper

By the time Hermione headed to her parents' room it was close to dinnertime. Hoping they wouldn't be frantic, she decided to freshen up first with a quick shower. She really didn't want to smell of sex when her parents didn't approve of her fiancé. When she entered their room, she was doubly glad she had spared the moment. Instead of her father, a smug looking Professor greeted her with his dulcet tones.

"Miss Granger. We were starting to become concerned. I know how you have a tendency to lose track of the time."

Hermione's surprised expression quickly transformed into a scowl. She decided the best course was to ignore Snape for as long as possible.

"I'm sorry if you've been worried. Remus and I got carried away, but we never lost track of the time," she said as she greeted her parents. Most of that was true, she thought. Unfortunately, Snape seemed to understand which part was true, as he snorted mirthlessly and turned away to glower.

Her father frowned slightly, but refrained from comment. Her mother, on the other hand, was not going to back down so easily.

"Darling, of course we were worried, seeing as we had to leave you alone with a werewolf," she said in a dangerous tone, but then switched tacks, and changed into her hostess smile. "But now is not the time for that, for as you may have noticed, we have company tonight," Jane said cheerily, although Hermione knew the warning was there. Hermione was to be polite, charming, and erudite, and would also refrain from killing the disliked guest until out of her parent's sight. Otherwise, her parents would be displeased.

"Yes, mum," she said as acidly as possible without being overtly hostile. She turned to her professor and decided to play nice, for a while.

"Professor Snape, I'm so pleased you decided to join us for dinner. I've never known you to socialize with students and their parents before. Especially not Gryffindors. I'm honored." Snape quirked an eyebrow at her and she knew he had interpreted her meaning correctly.

"It's not often I have the pleasure of being invited, but your parents graciously extended their invitation. How could a lonely man like me refuse?"

"Mum, dad, I wonder if you know what an honor it is to entertain such an esteemed guest. Professor Snape is a legend among Hogwarts staff, and even the wizarding world," she said while looking Snape in the eye. His polite smile never faded, though, in fact it seemed to broaden a bit.

"Oh I believe we do have an idea," her mum said, letting Hermione know she was aware of the undercurrents in the conversation, even if she didn't know exactly what was being unspoken. "I suspect though, that like all modest men, Severus is uncomfortable by this talk." Jane flashed Snape and Hermione a smile that was a clear warning: play nice, dears.

"I apologize if I've embarrassed you, Professor. I just wasn't expecting your company," Hermione said, not letting her guard down.

"Perfectly understandable, Miss Granger. I will respect your wishes if you prefer to dine alone with your parents tonight," he offered almost selflessly.

Hermione was caught and she knew it. It would be inexcusably rude to toss him out now, much as she would like to. She had not only walked into that one, she had helped set it up.

"Don't be silly, Professor. You are most welcome here," she said cheerfully, even though she knew she was out of her depth and surrounded by sharks. At least she could be relatively confident that her parents didn't want to eat her. Judging by the smile Snape gave her, she wasn't certain that held true for him.

"We wouldn't think of having you leave," Jane said, but seemed to take pity on her daughter, as she led Snape away to discuss the marriage bill and its ramifications for wizarding society as a whole. Hermione took the respite to seek out her father, who was sitting at the table, watching the proceedings with a detached interest.

"Dad," she said quietly, looking at him for an explanation. He looked at her and shrugged.

"I know you think we're being difficult, but we just want to protect you, darling. We want to see you survive this ordeal."

Hermione studied her dad, then looked over at her mother and Snape, who were conversing intently. She sighed and turned back to face her dad. "So do I, dad, but he's not the savior you think him to be."

Harold patted her on the hand and whispered conspiratorially, "Then prove that to us, dear." She looked at him quizzically, so he continued. "If you can show us why you think he's worse than a werewolf, then I promise we will stand by your decision. But play fair, darling. You don't want your mother crying foul again."

She smiled at him before sitting back to formulate a plan. This was not going to be an easy evening.

Before Hermione could get very far in her plotting, four plates appeared on the table, signaling dinner was about to be served. Snape politely escorted Jane to the table, then sat down across from Hermione, carefully avoiding catching her eye.

They awkwardly sat at the table, silently waiting for the food to arrive. Just as the silence was becoming uncomfortable, a dish of roast pork appeared in the middle of the table, followed shortly by a bowl of steaming pink applesauce, fresh green beans with coriander, and a platter of blanched vegetables, arranged to resemble a colorful wedding bouquet. Harold raised his eyebrows slightly at the platter, but otherwise seemed unaffected. When Jane caught sight of the vegetables she thought it a perfect invitation to talk about her daughter's upcoming nuptials.

"So, Sweetheart, tell us about the plans for tomorrow."

Hermione looked at her mum, then at Snape, who, oddly, didn't seem to be uncomfortable with the topic. He actually seemed interested. Hermione looked at her mum again and realized it was part of a plan. She didn't know who was behind it, but they were planning to manipulate her somehow.

"Well, I've left most of the details to the headmaster. He seemed to enjoy the planning. I wonder if he's been bored now that Voldemort is gone."

"I expect that rounding up the remaining Death Eaters, and outmanipulating the Ministry on this bill is proving to be a sufficient challenge, Miss Granger. He probably accepted the task of planning only because he wished to relieve you of that burden," Snape said smoothly.

"I see. Everyone is trying so hard to make life easy for me, aren't they?" Hermione responded, trying to keep the bite out of her voice.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Everyone wants the best for you. No one wants to see you miserable, or in pain, or downtrodden."

Hermione huffed slightly, galled at Snape's hypocrisy.

"Is that so, Professor? Then why is everyone forcing me into marriage? We could just wait and see. The bill may never pass and wouldn't it be ironic if that occurred after all of this panic."

"The headmaster has it on good authority that it will pass, and that Lucius Malfoy, among other respected members of the community, is interested in you. Specifically you. Magical contracts are difficult to break, even if the law was immediately repealed. If he applied for you, you would still be bound to accept him unless another offer came in."

"Yes, but if the law was repealed, I might be forced to marry someone against my will, but at least I'd have my powers, and no obligations."

"But only if the law was repealed. Do you want to take that chance, Miss Granger? If the law passes and you are still unwed, the were- Remus would no longer be an option for you. Neither would Kingsley Shacklebolt, for that matter."

Hermione looked away in frustration, trying to keep her temper and her wits.

"Would you still be an option, Severus?" Jane asked.

He hesitantly shook his head no, and pierced Hermione with a longing glare.

"No, I wouldn't be. Even if I were, I expect your daughter would feel more strongly against me if I were to rescue her at the last moment."

Hermione drew in a breath as if she had been slapped. She didn't trust herself to speak in a calm or reasonable manner, so she instead concentrated on her food, sawing violently at a piece of pork to exorcise her anger.

Hermione was so focused on shredding her meat that she was surprised when Snape spoke again, this time in a much softer voice.

"My apologies, Miss Granger. That was completely uncalled for, and inappropriate."

"There's been a lot of that lately from you," she spat at him, unable to hold her tongue. He had the grace to look ashamed of himself, or at least act it.

"Indeed." He didn't look away from her, but stared right back, apologetically.

"What is going on here?" Harold asked, his voice becoming dangerous. He laid his knife and fork down on his plate and looked at the younger pair, his eyes flashing. "There's obviously more to the dynamics between you two than just teacher and student. I see the need for Hermione to marry to avoid the law, but if you've been seducing my daughter, Mr. Snape..." he trailed off, obviously for the lack of polite words. Instead he turned to his daughter.

"Is this why you're dead set against him, Hermione? Has he been taking advantage of you?"

Both she and Snape were mortified at the suggestion and they protested in unison.

"No dad!"

"No sir, I would never take advantage..."

"He's never ... "

"I am a guardian, and-"

"He's only my teacher-"

"I would rather die than hurt your daughter."

"... and he'd never take advantage of me." Hermione finished weakly, Snape's last words weighing on her mind. A heavy silence descended on the table.

Harold sat back and surveyed the duo critically. Jane opened her mouth to speak, but without even looking at her, Harold raised his hand to cut her off.

"Enough, Jane. Hermione doesn't have time for any more games." He focused his attention on Snape, and his mouth compressed into a firm line.

"Severus, you told us you want Hermione to reconsider her decision, and that you'd like a chance at her hand. After seeing that display, it's obvious you've had a chance already." Harold leaned forward, his eyes intent upon Snape's, and his voice was edging on dangerous as he said, "Forgive my bluntness, but before this goes any further, I want to know why my daughter would rather marry a werewolf than you."

Snape looked at her father who had seemed so mild, and yet now exuded power unusual for a Muggle. He politely dabbed his mouth with his napkin before settling his wrists on the table edge, and started speaking.

"I believe it was my actions last night that confirmed your daughter's opinion of me as an unsuitable husband. I unintentionally hurt her, for which I offer my sincerest apologies."

Hermione nodded agreement, but her dad looked unimpressed.

"Hermione doesn't let one thing scare her off. You're going to have to explain a bit more thoroughly."

Snape swallowed then looked at Hermione for a moment. She had only seen him look that vulnerable once before, when he apologized earlier that day, but all she did was nod him to do as requested. With a reluctant sigh, he started talking, switching his gaze back onto her dad.

"Although Miss Granger is my student, my feelings for her have grown inappropriately ever since young Mr. Weasley placed her care in my hands."

"Why would Ron do that? Didn't he hate you?" Jane interrupted.

"I owed him a life debt. Before he died, we had come to an understanding, and he trusted me to honor any promises made." Hermione saw Snape flick his eyes in her direction, gauging her response. She kept her face neutral.

"A life debt is not something to take lightly, and so, in the months since Mr. Weasley's death, I watched your daughter more closely than I had before. I found myself watching her at mealtimes to see if she ate. In class I found myself paying her more attention than I should... all because she seemed so... so fragile. Inexplicably, I gradually found myself wanting to protect her from harm, not because Weasley asked it of me, but because I wanted to. I found myself wanting to comfort her when I saw her wasting away from grief. It infuriated me that no one else seemed to notice how she was suffering, and I was helpless to do anything about it. I was her hated, reviled teacher, and not even her Head of House. I could only give subtle hints to her friends who were too dense to pick out the concern from the insults. The anger grew until I realized that I wanted more than to simply watch over her: I wanted her in my life, and it mortified me that I felt that way about a student."

He kept talking, but he switched his gaze away from the elder Grangers, directing the story at Hermione. "The day I realized the extent of my feelings was the day the Headmaster informed us of the bill's imminent approval. I was rather upset with myself, and I suppose that was where I made my first mistake. The entire situation was so upsetting and I lashed out at you because you were the root of the problem. I was furious about the bill, but I was even more furious that you were being forced into such an untenable position, and at such a terrible time. It felt utterly wrong for you to have to choose a husband while still mourning. I was loathe to take advantage of the situation, but at the same time, I knew it was my only chance to take care of you as I had promised. I was positive you would think the worst of me," he smiled sardonically, "and I was right, wasn't I?"

He paused to pinch the bridge of his nose. "But it wasn't just that. I was angry that I wouldn't get a sincere chance to court you. I was angry that I wanted a chance at all. I was angry that if I took the opportunity I would have to reveal my inappropriate feelings to you and risk your disgust. But I was mostly angry because you weren't going to get the time to grow up that we both needed. Despite my attraction, eighteen-year-olds are far too young for my taste."

Hermione crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at that, but otherwise remained impassive, waiting for him to continue.

"Then I made my second mistake. I let my pride outweigh my knowledge. I knew you to be a forthright person who admires showy courage. However, after having displaying to a room full of witnesses that I had no interest in you, I felt I would be courting ridicule if I pursued you openly. You gave me more chances than I deserved, but by then I was caught up in catching you by my rules." Snape looked away from her, examining his glass of wine very carefully.

"Then yesterday morning I made my third mistake. I lashed out at you again for having surprised me, even though I knew, logically, that you were not to blame. I believe the only thing I did right during that fiasco was to not corner you alone."

"Why did you ask Harry to stay?" Hermione asked.

"A professional instinct. I knew I had just molested your mind," her parents jumped slightly at that new information, "though not intentionally, and it would have been highly inappropriate for me to be alone with you after such an attack. Harry seemed the logical choice, seeing as he was your friend, but he also knew about the life debt." He sighed, letting his shoulders drop slightly.

"I suppose all of yesterday was a mistake. I should have stayed in my office, although if I had, I imagine we would have just argued, and you would have stormed out again without letting me explain. Maybe I wouldn't have explained even if you hadn't stormed off. I don't know. All I know is that I'm eternally grateful I felt the urge to double check the... that corridor last night. If you never talk to me again, I am still grateful I was there." He looked up at her again, and his eyes burned into hers. She looked away, flushing slightly from the intensity.

"I'm grateful as well," she murmured.

"I suppose the real reason your daughter has rejected me as a suitor is because I have proven myself to be very quick to anger-"

"Don't forget you're jealous and disrespectful," Hermione interrupted.

"With a tendency to lash out, both verbally and physically," he finished, trying not to glare at Hermione.

She watched as he looked up to meet her parents' disapproving gazes. "In your daughter's view, Remus is a far more predictable monster."

Her mother looked at Snape, with suspicion lining her features. Slowly, Jane said, "What exactly happened last night? You said you unintentionally hurt her?"

Snape opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking upset. Hermione decided to take pity on him, and wordlessly rolled up her sleeves to reveal his purple hand prints.

"We got into an argument about Remus, and it got out of hand," she explained simply.

Hermione watched as her parents' eyes grew wide, and her mum stifled a gasp behind her hand. Her dad shot an accusing glare over at Snape, but her mum's eyes never moved from her arms. She seemed unduly fascinated by her forearm, until Hermione heard her whisper, "So thin." She then understood it was the weightloss that was disturbing her mum, and she hadn't even seen the bruise yet. When Jane's eyes did creep up to the bruise, she wasn't able to muffle her intake of breath. Hermione could see her mother debating with herself which was worse, the fragility of weightloss, or the purple marks and the violence that inflicted them. She knew the exact moment when her mum remembered Lupin, as it was then her mum closed her eyes, and swallowed thickly.

By the time Hermione looked over to her dad, his initial reaction was gone, but she could see he realized her position. He wasn't angry, but more weary than she had ever seen him. He tore his hopeless eyes away from scrutinizing Snape and broke the tense silence.

"Nary a choice, hey, love?" her dad asked, looking at her with sadly.

Hermione could only nod.

"Well, it breaks my heart that you have to make such a decision, love, but it is your choice," Harold stated with finality.

Jane looked from Harold to Snape to Hermione, and nodded in agreement. "Whoever you choose, dear, we'll always be here for you." She offered a pale smile to her daughter.

Hermione smiled wanly back at her parents, and noticed how tired they looked. They suddenly looked their age plus a decade. She wanted nothing more than to hug them and tell them that she wouldn't let the big bad monsters get her, that she'd be safe, but she couldn't lie to them. The only thing she could do for them at this point was let them rest.

She looked at Severus. "Would you be willing to escort me back to my common room, Professor? I'm feeling rather worn out from this week's adventures." He nodded curtly.

Her parents gave her a worried glance, but she just smiled and gave them each a good night hug. "Don't worry, I'll be safe," she whispered in their ears, before heading to the door. Snape opened the door for her, and as she exited, he paused to turn to her parents.

"If your daughter chose me, I would give my word as a man, and my oath as a wizard, to never harm her again."

Harold shook his head slightly. "That's a promise easily made, Severus. It's far more difficult to keep."

Severus clenched his jaw, but gave a courteous bow before he closed the door gently behind him.

XXX

They walked up three sets of stairs in silence before Hermione said anything.

"You know, your biggest mistake was not respecting me."

Severus stopped short and stared at her, looking genuinely surprised. "Do you think I could fall in... Why would you think that? I do not suffer fools easily, and I wouldn't hesitate to throw them to the wolves. Even that wolf. When in the last week have I been disrespectful?"

She turned away from him, not wanting her battle for control to be on display. When she was sure of her voice, she continued. "The way you've been playing games with me while my life was on the line, well, it seemed petty and... disrespectful." .

"What do you mean when your life was on the line? It is a marriage, not a death sentence."

"I was serious in Dumbledore's office. I will not force anyone into anything. I was also not about to accept a proposal from someone I knew would be a bad match. And so, if that meant bowing to the law and all its consequences, then so be it."

The silence between them seemed to last forever. When he spoke, the emotion in Snape's voice forced her to turn around. "Had I known that you were even considering bowing to the situation, I would never have played with you so."

She smiled sadly at him. "But that's what you do. You have the habit of playing with people, then hiding in the shadows when those people get upset. I know better than to expect you of all people to change your habits, or overcome your fears."

"Do you believe me incapable of change?" Snape asked, his face slipping back into its hard mask, covering both surprise and anger.

"No," Hermione shook her head, then looked up into his angry and surprised face, "just unwilling."

His anger deflated a little at that. "And if I could prove myself willing?"

Her smile turned sardonic. "I don't know, because frankly, I don't believe you will. You're too pleased with yourself as you are. I don't think you even understand the need to change."

He was silent, giving no reaction. She turned and started walking again, not sure whether she wanted him to call after her or not. She really didn't know whether she'd give him another chance - whether she could ever trust him again. She wasn't sure she wanted to work that hard. She was so very tired.

He didn't call after her, but suddenly he was at her side again, walking beside her silently. She accepted his taciturnity without interrupting. If he wished for more to be said, he could say it.

They walked the remaining way without a word more spoken. As they got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, he touched her lightly on the arm, stopping her.

"I understand the need to change certain aspects if it will garner your trust and respect," he said softly, stepping toward her. "I understand the need to change if it means I'll never hurt you again," he whispered, running his fingers tenderly along her bruises. "And I'm willing to change if it means you would be in my life." He stooped down and brought his lips to hers in a tender, chaste kiss. Behind her, Hermione could hear the Fat Lady gasp in surprise.

Moving to whisper in her ear, he continued, "But to prove it, therein lies the difficulty."

He withdrew and looked down at her questioningly. She looked up into his sallow face, and somberly said, "Too true." The portrait-hole clicked open and she left Snape to wonder whether she had been responding to his words, or not.

----------

AN: Firstly, my sincere apologies for the tardiness of updates. I have little to no excuse. Secondly, there's only one chapter left, folks, and that'd be the weddin' day. it is a long chapter, though, to make up for it.

And third, but most importantly, before I forget (as I shamefully do on a frequent basis) I would like to publicly apologize to my betas for my lack of acknowledgment. I do appreciate your input and thank you so very, very much. And that goes to all the people who've worked on this story, including the wonderful validators. Fudge brownies to you all (with bon-bons on top for you SW!).

Cheers!