“beyond wandpoint” 034 by gingerbred
“11 09o Sunday - The Gospel According to Albus”
Severus, Minerva, Hermione, Albus, Poppy
Originally Published: 2017-12-07 on AO3
Chapter: 034
Pairing: Hermione Granger / Severus Snape
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Minerva continues, "Albus wasn't particularly clear about what transpired..."
Miss Granger, still holding his hand, has tensed visibly at that. The bond discloses the rest. It would undoubtedly be difficult enough for her to speak of the assault, but Dumbledore's gag order will certainly have made that far worse. But if she can't, he will.
He turns to her and gently asks, "Were you finished speaking to the Headmaster?" When she shakes her head, he knew they weren't by the way she had come blazing in there, he suggests, "Why don't you go finish your conversation with him, and meanwhile Minerva and I will have a chat."
Miss Granger actually indicates her Head anxiously with her eyes, it's hardly subtle, silently enquiring of him if he feels the trouble with her is truly passed. Severus bites back a huff of laughter. "I believe things are a little clearer now. Wouldn't you agree, Minerva?"
"I am sorry, Miss... Madam Snape. Why don't you follow his suggestion? I promise I won't leap to further conclusions in your absence." Minerva joins in encouraging Miss Granger to leave them to speak. Severus highly doubts that's a promise Minerva can keep, but there's little to be gained saying as much.
With a last look at Severus for confirmation, which he meets with a nod and another squeeze of her hand, Miss Granger rises from her seat again and with a patently ridiculous, "Fine, if you're sure. Call for me if you need me," leaves to return to Albus. Severus honestly doesn't know what's more absurd, the idea of needing her, or the fact that he apparently wouldn't need to call if he did, as her presence earlier had more than proven.
At Severus' invitation, Minerva avails herself of Miss Granger's... Madam Snape's now empty chair and he begins to fill her in on the events of Friday, the gospel according to Albus. The general facts remain the same, save the identities of the assailants; those are simply withheld. To simplify the narrative, the events of the evening at the Manor and in the castle are conflated, and it's... suggested that all his injuries were sustained at Hogwarts. It's certainly true enough to say they had been at the hands of the Death Eaters. If she misinterprets where those Death Eaters were located at the time of the attack...
Her first thought is idiotic. "I do wish you had told me this before. I gave Irma quite the lambasting. That was all so terribly unnecessary..."
Severus has no idea how to respond to that. He hasn't the foggiest why she would blame Irma for anything, nor how he could have kept Minerva from doing so while comatose. He's not sure he could keep her from flying off while conscious, for Merlin's sake. It takes a moment of thought to even find words.
"Should I have done so while in coma, Minerva? You are aware I only regained consciousness late this morning? That I've spent all of the ensuing time in this room? Much of it asleep for that matter? And why on earth did you think Irma had anything to do with the attack?"
"Oh. I... Poppy said... Albus..." Severus' eyebrow quirks at the mention of the Headmaster, and Minerva realises therein undoubtedly lies the explanation. "I'm afraid I didn't quite understand what had transpired," she admits.
"So I gathered when you came storming in here. In the future I'll simply try to regain consciousness a little more quickly, shall I?" Her cheeks gain a spot of colour at that. "But may I suggest getting the facts of things first before casting blame?" His look is wry. She just looks a bit put out, and her lips purse in response.
She blinks twice and tries for a more promising avenue of enquiry, "How did they gain access?" Her concern is perfectly reasonable. Albus had only said the threat was 'neutralised'; he had specified neither the means of that threat nor how it was neutralised.
The answer, of course, is they're students and can come and go more as less as they please. The majority hadn't planned or even considered action, were now Obliviated and highly unlikely to start something again of their own volition. The only one who actually had meant to attack Miss Granger, although even that was without malice aforethought and of lesser intended severity than the eventual outcome, is in fact about to find himself thoroughly.... neutralised. Obviously, Severus can't tell Minerva as much.
"There was an oversight. A potential threat went unrecognised, and an... opportunity was exploited." More or less true enough.
That still doesn't even remotely begin to answer her question, but Minerva has been at this game for quite some time. She knows the rules. She has never learned to Occlude, her thoughts aren't safe from prying minds, and as such, there are some things she understands she'll never be privy to.
Truthfully, on some level it does bother her a little that Albus takes Severus more into his confidence than herself. She misses completely that her utter unwillingness to acknowledge certain ugly truths means Albus couldn't usefully consult her if he wanted to on many topics. However, she does realise part of the reason the information flows as it does is because Severus is the source of much of it to begin with, and she certainly doesn't envy him his job. As a spy, he knows a great many things she does not and shouldn't care to. In fact, it's less a question of Albus sharing with Severus instead of her, and more Severus reporting to Albus, and Minerva never being let into the loop.
She assumes this is one of those things she isn't meant to know, and so she concentrates on the important issues.
"Can it happen again?" Merlin, he hopes not.
"I mean to see that it doesn't," he answers truthfully enough.
"Are you able you to do that? Given your position?"
"I am convinced that I can. This will not happen again."
"Is that only true for Miss... Madam Snape, in view of the Protection Vow, or will the other students be safe as well?"
"Really, Minerva?" She has the grace to blush slightly once more, but the point is too important for her not to seek clarification. Severus is a little annoyed at the suggestion he'd be less concerned with the general student welfare than she would. His feeling is their histories prove quite the opposite is true. If one disregards House points, naturally. Nevertheless, she lifts her chin somewhat defiantly and he answers, "I mean to see that all the students are protected. But the others were far less likely to have been targeted."
She has trouble fully grasping the truth of that statement. He means to see that she does. She prefers to believe the threat comes solely from blood status, or possibly Miss Granger's friendship with Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-a-Terrific-Pain-in-His-Arse. Contributing factors, beyond a doubt, but it doesn't come close to reflecting the issues at the heart of things.
To help her understand the root of the problem, he has insisted that the 'story' evince the actual motive. It was a small but important victory, and one he had to fight Albus tooth and nail for. He still can't believe he won. Of course, he's also now irrevocably bonded against his better judgment, so he probably shouldn't get too full of himself for that comparatively minor win.
Minerva has helped contribute to the problems underlying the attack, and Severus feels certain the situation will only become worse unless she recognises that fact and changes her conduct accordingly. There can be no more turning of blind eyes to the harmful behaviours she has thus far condoned, if not encouraged. At least not on the previous scale. She's had options where his hands were tied; it galls him that she often didn't make use of them.
Initially, she's stubbornly unwilling to accept that this could have been an act of revenge for the injuries and slights to the Malfoy heir. He assures her, it was the stated motive. She can't believe it's true. He tells her Legilimency confirmed the truth of that claim. She feels sure it must be an exaggeration on his part. He begins mentally itemising potions ingredients; it helps, a little.
She seriously underestimates the damage done, both last year and last week, and if she were to accept the motive, it would also mean accepting her role in this. She's quite comfortable in her denial. It's then that Severus decides he'll have to share a few memories with her if he wishes to convince her.
He's not the least bit pleased at having to do so.
Legilimency can also be used to impart memories, and the first thing he does is show her once and for all just how grievously her precious Potter had wounded Draco last year. It's one thing to hear about it; it's another altogether to see the bloodbath in all its gory horror. Her face loses all colour at the sight. Good. Next he affixes a memory of Weasley writhing on the dance floor from the week before. Juxtaposed, even Minerva can't deny the relationship between the incidents. Fitting. Not even the boys denied them. On the contrary, Weasley had employed a Marquee Charm to effectively proclaim it.
Unlike memories viewed in a Pensieve, which are objectively honest, memories shared via Legilimency can be edited in focus. And so he does just that. He grudgingly follows both of those memories with a series of images, they're scarcely more than a series of pictures from Friday night. First, Miss Granger in that chair, just as she was when he entered that room, cropped in focus so there's only her and none of the boys visible. Again Minerva is forced to recognise the similarities to the attack on Malfoy, and inescapably to Weasley's costume of questionable taste.
Next, there's the moment when the blood crashed down on Miss Granger. Still tightly focussed on her, it captures the terror on her face perfectly. There's another, wider shot of the room after all the boys had left. She's still in the chair, now covered with his cloak, a chivalrous gesture that speaks to something in Minerva, and while Miss Granger's no longer covered in blood, it's still splashed liberally all over the room. Minerva gets a very real idea of what it might have been like to find her there as was originally conceived.
He keeps the memories incredibly brief, so Minerva doesn't get an impression of the effects of the potion. As far as he's concerned, that will remain strictly between him and Miss Granger. He's incensed enough at having to share these images of her with his colleague, and he fervently wishes he'd never have to share them again, although he knows all too well that he will. But if it's left to him, no one else will ever see what the potion did to her. If he can help it, no one else will ever see her in that state.
For a brief moment, he interrogates his motives. He's curious if the Protection Vow might somehow be making him less willing to share those images. He finds the thought... concerning. On consideration he decides he'd been loath to leave the boys with those memories Friday night as well, and that on balance, there's no change. No, it's not the Vow. And then it occurs to him that he is in fact less willing to share the image of his... wife in such a state. He tells himself it merely offends his sense of propriety, but he finds the thought... disquieting. He doesn't even register his thumb rubbing the threadlike ring on his left hand.
Some things he can't relate via memories without risking exposing the truth. And so he explains that after driving off her attackers, he was no longer in any shape to free her magically, and Minerva sees a memory of him sawing at her bonds, the one that's haunted his dreams ever since. He judiciously chooses the memory of freeing her first wrist, before she was able to begin toying with his hair and caressing his face. He swallows at the thought and then supplies another of him staggering with the witch in his arms to the Infirmary... Minerva can clearly feel his exhaustion, worry, outrage and his pain in those memories. She honestly can't fault his actions and feels genuinely repentant for her response before. Small favours.
Having secured that beachhead, he repeats the voiced reasons for the attack. This time, finally, Minerva is willing to believe him. But he can't stop there. She needs to understand the extent of the threat, its nature, and so he reluctantly explains that that Miss Granger had been administered Liquid Lust, the general effects of such a potion, and what he believes would have happened next. That Legilimency had borne out, at least one sexual assault was all but guaranteed. A second highly likely. And he can't reliably exclude more.
Minerva is just as reluctant to believe it as he is to tell it, but this time she doesn't doubt for an instant that what he says is true. She can't hold back a sob. She presses her knuckles to her mouth to repress more, and the tears come, silently trickling down her cheeks.
They sit like that until Minerva regains her voice. "Why didn't she come speak to me?"
"Minerva, I frankly don't think she's willing to speak of it yet. And that's despite a steady supply of Calming Draughts. But you should know Albus apparently placed her under an Oath to not speak of the attack for the weekend while he... solved the problem and determined how to handle it. I gather he didn't want to spread panic in the school."
"No, no of course not. We couldn't have that. It wouldn't have helped anyone." Severus just swallows his retort. No, of course not. We couldn't have that... Albus is a malignant arse of the first order. He'll never understand how everyone seems willing to so blithely overlook that.
His lips meet in a thin line as he sublimates his frustration. Hoping she might get a bit of a clue, he proceeds, "Presumably, he's also protecting the Order's interests. But if you wish to know more of his reasoning, you will have to ask him. I can't speak for him, and have no wish to."
"And the solution to the... problem is bonding?" Her disbelief is abundantly clear in the question.
"He seems to think it is."
"But how many can that protect?"
"Currently, three Muggle-borns, always assuming it actually provides any measure of protection at all." It's not that either of them feel those three aren't worth protecting, well... by and large, but the method, even if it were effective, seems exceedingly... costly with far too little return. It's not a particularly practicable solution.
"If you're that unconvinced, how could you do this?"
"Albus was quite sure."
"Oh, Severus." Her hand is back, covering the lower half of her face, a subconscious gesture illustrating all things things she's trying to keep from saying. She keeps shaking her head as she thinks about the situation.
Her thoughts circle back to the the attack that precipitated this. "Why won't you say who was involved, Severus?"
"Albus doesn't wish it revealed. Don't ask, Minerva. I have no desire to lie to you, but I will respect Albus' wishes in this. I can't even say I disagree with his position, all considered."
"It was his father!" She exclaims, suddenly certain. No, Minerva doesn't jump to conclusions, when does she ever? Her meaning isn't entirely clear, but Severus is quite positive, none of the parties involved are fathers. He simply cocks an eyebrow and waits for her to explain. "Mr. Malfoy's father. Mr. Malfoy."
Severus swallows his smirk, it's not appropriate. But sometimes Minerva's sense of correctness gets in the way of... sense. Case in point, that was as clear as mud, she's taught them both and knows their names more than well enough, and she's sparred with Lucius in the ensuing twenty odd years on a first name basis on more than one occasion. Severus takes it as a sign that she's quite flustered by everything.
"I can guarantee you, Lucius was not involved, but that is also the last word I will say on the matter. I'll not help you guess your way to a result. It's probably also best if you don't give rise to unsubstantiated rumours or speculation. That really will only make things worse, which is a substantial part of how we arrived here in the first place. Again, Minerva, if you want more information, ask Albus."
Both of them know that will prove fruitless, which is why she's still here haggling with him for details. Albus has no compunction about lying to her; he'll do it with a smile and offer her a sherbet. She's still here because Severus doesn't enjoy lying to her, and she thinks she can exploit that weakness to press an advantage. But she won't be any more successful.
Recognising that, she abandons her questions and attends to one of her duties as a Head of House. "Have... have Madam Snape's parents been informed of the developments? Shall I contact them for you?"
"I did think to ask, Minerva. I wouldn't have proceeded without doing so," the reproach in his voice is clear.
"No, naturally, I didn't mean to suggest..." Of course she didn't, only she just had.
"So you are unaware of their circumstances?" He asks innocently. He assumes she is based on what Miss Granger had told him, but he prefers this approach. It would be nice to regain some ground of his own.
"Their circumstances? I don't follow?"
"Why, she sent them into hiding. Indefinitely."
"She's completely on her own?" Minerva sounds scandalised.
He nods in grim agreement, further explaining, "There's no contact whatsoever, and she has no means at all to reach them."
"But..." She has many objections to that, but none seem to be particularly coherent.
His lips press together again into a very visible disapproving line and he deliberately nods his agreement demonstratively to whatever objection she can't seem to articulate. He didn't find the situation or the little witch's isolation good either, no matter what role she'd played in it herself. The Order had let her down across the board, and no one seems to have even noticed. He had thought she was well regarded. This... And now he's sitting there shaking his head. It isn't even theatre.
"Yes, she felt she was left with no choice when the Order failed to provide for them in light of the Muggle hunts taking place last summer." Again, all near enough the truth.
Minerva's eyes widen in horror at the realisation. "When we arranged for Potter's Dursleys... We never..."
"No. Apparently no arrangements whatsoever were made for the Grangers. It wasn't deemed important enough, or no one cared enough to do so. She had to make her own." Minerva can't help noting how angry he sounds at the thought, that perhaps they hadn't cared enough. Oddly, that leaves her with a slightly better feeling about what's happening here, and their bonding, even if she knows he would argue against it.
"Oh, the poor girl." Minerva's hand claps back over her mouth.
"She's a very resilient young woman. She's been dealing with that fact on her own for months now," Severus points out. Again Minerva blanches. "It gives me hope that she has the wherewithal to recover well from Friday's events."
"Merlin. If she needs anything... If I can do anything, you'll let me know, Severus?" He nods. This time it's a little stiff. He seems to have a more difficulty dealing with people once they finally come round. As long as it was strictly antagonistic, he'd had no problems. Neither of them particularly notices it, possibly because it is exactly what they both expect.
There's a knock at the door, and again the knocker doesn't wait for an invitation to enter but bustles in. Severus knows the moment the doorknob turns that it'll be Albus, who arrives in a cloud of seemingly benevolent smiles, twinkling eyes and bobbing nods.
"Ah, Minerva," he croons, "I hoped I'd find you here." Of course she was there, and naturally the man knew it. Severus wonders how any of them muster the patience to pretend a word the old windbag says is honest. "Poppy still needs to attend to Severus, what say you come with me and we leave them to it? I imagine you still have questions as to the arrangements in the tower..."
And with a farewell and last request that he contact her if she can be of help, Minerva takes her leave with Albus and Poppy putters in, an assortment of things in tow that she means to subject him to as long as she still can.
"Why don't you get dressed," Poppy suggests as she finishes and turns to leave. "And I'll send in Madam Snape." It's only as she continues, "She's waiting in my office, and I imagine you'll want to sort your chambers before the hour gets too late," that he realises he's been putting off the inevitable. He'd almost completely forgotten about it.
He must have nodded, stupidly, because once Poppy leaves, and he's attired once again in his dress robes, Miss Granger soon appears at his door. "Are you ready then, Sir?" Again, he seems to be dumbly nodding and she magics open his wardrobe and inexplicably summons forth a fair number of things apparently of her own - he wasn't aware they were sharing - which she quickly shrinks to a manageable size, waiting for him to follow suit. It seems some of his clothes survived Friday's adventures after all.
He shrinks the lot without comment and tucks it into his pocket. Bizarrely, Miss Granger then summons her bouquet from the vase on the nightstand, he couldn't begin to explain why, and turns to him with a surprisingly brave smile, "Shall we then?"
All he can do is nod and say, "Follow me," as though she hadn't been to the dungeons and back several times a week for the last six years...
Severus, Minerva, Hermione, Albus, Poppy
Originally Published: 2017-12-07 on AO3
Chapter: 034
Pairing: Hermione Granger / Severus Snape
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Minerva continues, "Albus wasn't particularly clear about what transpired..."
Miss Granger, still holding his hand, has tensed visibly at that. The bond discloses the rest. It would undoubtedly be difficult enough for her to speak of the assault, but Dumbledore's gag order will certainly have made that far worse. But if she can't, he will.
He turns to her and gently asks, "Were you finished speaking to the Headmaster?" When she shakes her head, he knew they weren't by the way she had come blazing in there, he suggests, "Why don't you go finish your conversation with him, and meanwhile Minerva and I will have a chat."
Miss Granger actually indicates her Head anxiously with her eyes, it's hardly subtle, silently enquiring of him if he feels the trouble with her is truly passed. Severus bites back a huff of laughter. "I believe things are a little clearer now. Wouldn't you agree, Minerva?"
"I am sorry, Miss... Madam Snape. Why don't you follow his suggestion? I promise I won't leap to further conclusions in your absence." Minerva joins in encouraging Miss Granger to leave them to speak. Severus highly doubts that's a promise Minerva can keep, but there's little to be gained saying as much.
With a last look at Severus for confirmation, which he meets with a nod and another squeeze of her hand, Miss Granger rises from her seat again and with a patently ridiculous, "Fine, if you're sure. Call for me if you need me," leaves to return to Albus. Severus honestly doesn't know what's more absurd, the idea of needing her, or the fact that he apparently wouldn't need to call if he did, as her presence earlier had more than proven.
At Severus' invitation, Minerva avails herself of Miss Granger's... Madam Snape's now empty chair and he begins to fill her in on the events of Friday, the gospel according to Albus. The general facts remain the same, save the identities of the assailants; those are simply withheld. To simplify the narrative, the events of the evening at the Manor and in the castle are conflated, and it's... suggested that all his injuries were sustained at Hogwarts. It's certainly true enough to say they had been at the hands of the Death Eaters. If she misinterprets where those Death Eaters were located at the time of the attack...
Her first thought is idiotic. "I do wish you had told me this before. I gave Irma quite the lambasting. That was all so terribly unnecessary..."
Severus has no idea how to respond to that. He hasn't the foggiest why she would blame Irma for anything, nor how he could have kept Minerva from doing so while comatose. He's not sure he could keep her from flying off while conscious, for Merlin's sake. It takes a moment of thought to even find words.
"Should I have done so while in coma, Minerva? You are aware I only regained consciousness late this morning? That I've spent all of the ensuing time in this room? Much of it asleep for that matter? And why on earth did you think Irma had anything to do with the attack?"
"Oh. I... Poppy said... Albus..." Severus' eyebrow quirks at the mention of the Headmaster, and Minerva realises therein undoubtedly lies the explanation. "I'm afraid I didn't quite understand what had transpired," she admits.
"So I gathered when you came storming in here. In the future I'll simply try to regain consciousness a little more quickly, shall I?" Her cheeks gain a spot of colour at that. "But may I suggest getting the facts of things first before casting blame?" His look is wry. She just looks a bit put out, and her lips purse in response.
She blinks twice and tries for a more promising avenue of enquiry, "How did they gain access?" Her concern is perfectly reasonable. Albus had only said the threat was 'neutralised'; he had specified neither the means of that threat nor how it was neutralised.
The answer, of course, is they're students and can come and go more as less as they please. The majority hadn't planned or even considered action, were now Obliviated and highly unlikely to start something again of their own volition. The only one who actually had meant to attack Miss Granger, although even that was without malice aforethought and of lesser intended severity than the eventual outcome, is in fact about to find himself thoroughly.... neutralised. Obviously, Severus can't tell Minerva as much.
"There was an oversight. A potential threat went unrecognised, and an... opportunity was exploited." More or less true enough.
That still doesn't even remotely begin to answer her question, but Minerva has been at this game for quite some time. She knows the rules. She has never learned to Occlude, her thoughts aren't safe from prying minds, and as such, there are some things she understands she'll never be privy to.
Truthfully, on some level it does bother her a little that Albus takes Severus more into his confidence than herself. She misses completely that her utter unwillingness to acknowledge certain ugly truths means Albus couldn't usefully consult her if he wanted to on many topics. However, she does realise part of the reason the information flows as it does is because Severus is the source of much of it to begin with, and she certainly doesn't envy him his job. As a spy, he knows a great many things she does not and shouldn't care to. In fact, it's less a question of Albus sharing with Severus instead of her, and more Severus reporting to Albus, and Minerva never being let into the loop.
She assumes this is one of those things she isn't meant to know, and so she concentrates on the important issues.
"Can it happen again?" Merlin, he hopes not.
"I mean to see that it doesn't," he answers truthfully enough.
"Are you able you to do that? Given your position?"
"I am convinced that I can. This will not happen again."
"Is that only true for Miss... Madam Snape, in view of the Protection Vow, or will the other students be safe as well?"
"Really, Minerva?" She has the grace to blush slightly once more, but the point is too important for her not to seek clarification. Severus is a little annoyed at the suggestion he'd be less concerned with the general student welfare than she would. His feeling is their histories prove quite the opposite is true. If one disregards House points, naturally. Nevertheless, she lifts her chin somewhat defiantly and he answers, "I mean to see that all the students are protected. But the others were far less likely to have been targeted."
She has trouble fully grasping the truth of that statement. He means to see that she does. She prefers to believe the threat comes solely from blood status, or possibly Miss Granger's friendship with Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-a-Terrific-Pain-in-His-Arse. Contributing factors, beyond a doubt, but it doesn't come close to reflecting the issues at the heart of things.
To help her understand the root of the problem, he has insisted that the 'story' evince the actual motive. It was a small but important victory, and one he had to fight Albus tooth and nail for. He still can't believe he won. Of course, he's also now irrevocably bonded against his better judgment, so he probably shouldn't get too full of himself for that comparatively minor win.
Minerva has helped contribute to the problems underlying the attack, and Severus feels certain the situation will only become worse unless she recognises that fact and changes her conduct accordingly. There can be no more turning of blind eyes to the harmful behaviours she has thus far condoned, if not encouraged. At least not on the previous scale. She's had options where his hands were tied; it galls him that she often didn't make use of them.
Initially, she's stubbornly unwilling to accept that this could have been an act of revenge for the injuries and slights to the Malfoy heir. He assures her, it was the stated motive. She can't believe it's true. He tells her Legilimency confirmed the truth of that claim. She feels sure it must be an exaggeration on his part. He begins mentally itemising potions ingredients; it helps, a little.
She seriously underestimates the damage done, both last year and last week, and if she were to accept the motive, it would also mean accepting her role in this. She's quite comfortable in her denial. It's then that Severus decides he'll have to share a few memories with her if he wishes to convince her.
He's not the least bit pleased at having to do so.
Legilimency can also be used to impart memories, and the first thing he does is show her once and for all just how grievously her precious Potter had wounded Draco last year. It's one thing to hear about it; it's another altogether to see the bloodbath in all its gory horror. Her face loses all colour at the sight. Good. Next he affixes a memory of Weasley writhing on the dance floor from the week before. Juxtaposed, even Minerva can't deny the relationship between the incidents. Fitting. Not even the boys denied them. On the contrary, Weasley had employed a Marquee Charm to effectively proclaim it.
Unlike memories viewed in a Pensieve, which are objectively honest, memories shared via Legilimency can be edited in focus. And so he does just that. He grudgingly follows both of those memories with a series of images, they're scarcely more than a series of pictures from Friday night. First, Miss Granger in that chair, just as she was when he entered that room, cropped in focus so there's only her and none of the boys visible. Again Minerva is forced to recognise the similarities to the attack on Malfoy, and inescapably to Weasley's costume of questionable taste.
Next, there's the moment when the blood crashed down on Miss Granger. Still tightly focussed on her, it captures the terror on her face perfectly. There's another, wider shot of the room after all the boys had left. She's still in the chair, now covered with his cloak, a chivalrous gesture that speaks to something in Minerva, and while Miss Granger's no longer covered in blood, it's still splashed liberally all over the room. Minerva gets a very real idea of what it might have been like to find her there as was originally conceived.
He keeps the memories incredibly brief, so Minerva doesn't get an impression of the effects of the potion. As far as he's concerned, that will remain strictly between him and Miss Granger. He's incensed enough at having to share these images of her with his colleague, and he fervently wishes he'd never have to share them again, although he knows all too well that he will. But if it's left to him, no one else will ever see what the potion did to her. If he can help it, no one else will ever see her in that state.
For a brief moment, he interrogates his motives. He's curious if the Protection Vow might somehow be making him less willing to share those images. He finds the thought... concerning. On consideration he decides he'd been loath to leave the boys with those memories Friday night as well, and that on balance, there's no change. No, it's not the Vow. And then it occurs to him that he is in fact less willing to share the image of his... wife in such a state. He tells himself it merely offends his sense of propriety, but he finds the thought... disquieting. He doesn't even register his thumb rubbing the threadlike ring on his left hand.
Some things he can't relate via memories without risking exposing the truth. And so he explains that after driving off her attackers, he was no longer in any shape to free her magically, and Minerva sees a memory of him sawing at her bonds, the one that's haunted his dreams ever since. He judiciously chooses the memory of freeing her first wrist, before she was able to begin toying with his hair and caressing his face. He swallows at the thought and then supplies another of him staggering with the witch in his arms to the Infirmary... Minerva can clearly feel his exhaustion, worry, outrage and his pain in those memories. She honestly can't fault his actions and feels genuinely repentant for her response before. Small favours.
Having secured that beachhead, he repeats the voiced reasons for the attack. This time, finally, Minerva is willing to believe him. But he can't stop there. She needs to understand the extent of the threat, its nature, and so he reluctantly explains that that Miss Granger had been administered Liquid Lust, the general effects of such a potion, and what he believes would have happened next. That Legilimency had borne out, at least one sexual assault was all but guaranteed. A second highly likely. And he can't reliably exclude more.
Minerva is just as reluctant to believe it as he is to tell it, but this time she doesn't doubt for an instant that what he says is true. She can't hold back a sob. She presses her knuckles to her mouth to repress more, and the tears come, silently trickling down her cheeks.
They sit like that until Minerva regains her voice. "Why didn't she come speak to me?"
"Minerva, I frankly don't think she's willing to speak of it yet. And that's despite a steady supply of Calming Draughts. But you should know Albus apparently placed her under an Oath to not speak of the attack for the weekend while he... solved the problem and determined how to handle it. I gather he didn't want to spread panic in the school."
"No, no of course not. We couldn't have that. It wouldn't have helped anyone." Severus just swallows his retort. No, of course not. We couldn't have that... Albus is a malignant arse of the first order. He'll never understand how everyone seems willing to so blithely overlook that.
His lips meet in a thin line as he sublimates his frustration. Hoping she might get a bit of a clue, he proceeds, "Presumably, he's also protecting the Order's interests. But if you wish to know more of his reasoning, you will have to ask him. I can't speak for him, and have no wish to."
"And the solution to the... problem is bonding?" Her disbelief is abundantly clear in the question.
"He seems to think it is."
"But how many can that protect?"
"Currently, three Muggle-borns, always assuming it actually provides any measure of protection at all." It's not that either of them feel those three aren't worth protecting, well... by and large, but the method, even if it were effective, seems exceedingly... costly with far too little return. It's not a particularly practicable solution.
"If you're that unconvinced, how could you do this?"
"Albus was quite sure."
"Oh, Severus." Her hand is back, covering the lower half of her face, a subconscious gesture illustrating all things things she's trying to keep from saying. She keeps shaking her head as she thinks about the situation.
Her thoughts circle back to the the attack that precipitated this. "Why won't you say who was involved, Severus?"
"Albus doesn't wish it revealed. Don't ask, Minerva. I have no desire to lie to you, but I will respect Albus' wishes in this. I can't even say I disagree with his position, all considered."
"It was his father!" She exclaims, suddenly certain. No, Minerva doesn't jump to conclusions, when does she ever? Her meaning isn't entirely clear, but Severus is quite positive, none of the parties involved are fathers. He simply cocks an eyebrow and waits for her to explain. "Mr. Malfoy's father. Mr. Malfoy."
Severus swallows his smirk, it's not appropriate. But sometimes Minerva's sense of correctness gets in the way of... sense. Case in point, that was as clear as mud, she's taught them both and knows their names more than well enough, and she's sparred with Lucius in the ensuing twenty odd years on a first name basis on more than one occasion. Severus takes it as a sign that she's quite flustered by everything.
"I can guarantee you, Lucius was not involved, but that is also the last word I will say on the matter. I'll not help you guess your way to a result. It's probably also best if you don't give rise to unsubstantiated rumours or speculation. That really will only make things worse, which is a substantial part of how we arrived here in the first place. Again, Minerva, if you want more information, ask Albus."
Both of them know that will prove fruitless, which is why she's still here haggling with him for details. Albus has no compunction about lying to her; he'll do it with a smile and offer her a sherbet. She's still here because Severus doesn't enjoy lying to her, and she thinks she can exploit that weakness to press an advantage. But she won't be any more successful.
Recognising that, she abandons her questions and attends to one of her duties as a Head of House. "Have... have Madam Snape's parents been informed of the developments? Shall I contact them for you?"
"I did think to ask, Minerva. I wouldn't have proceeded without doing so," the reproach in his voice is clear.
"No, naturally, I didn't mean to suggest..." Of course she didn't, only she just had.
"So you are unaware of their circumstances?" He asks innocently. He assumes she is based on what Miss Granger had told him, but he prefers this approach. It would be nice to regain some ground of his own.
"Their circumstances? I don't follow?"
"Why, she sent them into hiding. Indefinitely."
"She's completely on her own?" Minerva sounds scandalised.
He nods in grim agreement, further explaining, "There's no contact whatsoever, and she has no means at all to reach them."
"But..." She has many objections to that, but none seem to be particularly coherent.
His lips press together again into a very visible disapproving line and he deliberately nods his agreement demonstratively to whatever objection she can't seem to articulate. He didn't find the situation or the little witch's isolation good either, no matter what role she'd played in it herself. The Order had let her down across the board, and no one seems to have even noticed. He had thought she was well regarded. This... And now he's sitting there shaking his head. It isn't even theatre.
"Yes, she felt she was left with no choice when the Order failed to provide for them in light of the Muggle hunts taking place last summer." Again, all near enough the truth.
Minerva's eyes widen in horror at the realisation. "When we arranged for Potter's Dursleys... We never..."
"No. Apparently no arrangements whatsoever were made for the Grangers. It wasn't deemed important enough, or no one cared enough to do so. She had to make her own." Minerva can't help noting how angry he sounds at the thought, that perhaps they hadn't cared enough. Oddly, that leaves her with a slightly better feeling about what's happening here, and their bonding, even if she knows he would argue against it.
"Oh, the poor girl." Minerva's hand claps back over her mouth.
"She's a very resilient young woman. She's been dealing with that fact on her own for months now," Severus points out. Again Minerva blanches. "It gives me hope that she has the wherewithal to recover well from Friday's events."
"Merlin. If she needs anything... If I can do anything, you'll let me know, Severus?" He nods. This time it's a little stiff. He seems to have a more difficulty dealing with people once they finally come round. As long as it was strictly antagonistic, he'd had no problems. Neither of them particularly notices it, possibly because it is exactly what they both expect.
There's a knock at the door, and again the knocker doesn't wait for an invitation to enter but bustles in. Severus knows the moment the doorknob turns that it'll be Albus, who arrives in a cloud of seemingly benevolent smiles, twinkling eyes and bobbing nods.
"Ah, Minerva," he croons, "I hoped I'd find you here." Of course she was there, and naturally the man knew it. Severus wonders how any of them muster the patience to pretend a word the old windbag says is honest. "Poppy still needs to attend to Severus, what say you come with me and we leave them to it? I imagine you still have questions as to the arrangements in the tower..."
And with a farewell and last request that he contact her if she can be of help, Minerva takes her leave with Albus and Poppy putters in, an assortment of things in tow that she means to subject him to as long as she still can.
"Why don't you get dressed," Poppy suggests as she finishes and turns to leave. "And I'll send in Madam Snape." It's only as she continues, "She's waiting in my office, and I imagine you'll want to sort your chambers before the hour gets too late," that he realises he's been putting off the inevitable. He'd almost completely forgotten about it.
He must have nodded, stupidly, because once Poppy leaves, and he's attired once again in his dress robes, Miss Granger soon appears at his door. "Are you ready then, Sir?" Again, he seems to be dumbly nodding and she magics open his wardrobe and inexplicably summons forth a fair number of things apparently of her own - he wasn't aware they were sharing - which she quickly shrinks to a manageable size, waiting for him to follow suit. It seems some of his clothes survived Friday's adventures after all.
He shrinks the lot without comment and tucks it into his pocket. Bizarrely, Miss Granger then summons her bouquet from the vase on the nightstand, he couldn't begin to explain why, and turns to him with a surprisingly brave smile, "Shall we then?"
All he can do is nod and say, "Follow me," as though she hadn't been to the dungeons and back several times a week for the last six years...