Hogwarts, a History IV
Title: Hogwarts, a History IV
Team: Order of the Phoenix
Rating: all ages
Challenge: Hogwarts History challenge
Characters: Severus, Hermione
Word Count: 7 x 100
Hogwarts, a History III
***SSHG***
At noon the next day, Severus entered his study through the doorway that led directly from his dungeon rooms. On days like today, when he’d gotten very little sleep, he greatly appreciated the castle’s consideration in not making him climb nine flights of stairs to reach his office.
He cleared the threshold and halted. He should have known.
Hermione was curled up on his too-short settee. Not wanting to disturb her just yet - who knew how long she’d stayed up? - he sat at his desk. But the chair creaked, and she let out a squeaky sigh before opening her eyes.
*
‘Morning,’ she muttered, sitting up. Wincing, she raised one hand behind her head and massaged her neck. Her hair, so neatly tamed yesterday, was now a huge aura around her head.
‘Good afternoon,’ Severus replied dryly. Hermione groaned again. He gestured to her scrolls. ‘Do you mind if I take a look?’
‘Not at all,’ she replied. She got up and went into the lavatory just off his study, shutting the door behind her.
He focused on her notes for the next several minutes, scanning through her notes. She’d made some good points, but research like this wouldn’t be sufficient.
*
He pulled a sheet of parchment and a quill towards him, starting a list. Movement caught his eye, and he saw Hermione at his side, holding out a cup of tea. ‘Thank you.’ She smiled, sipping her own tea, and sat down again. ‘I see where you’re going with this,’ he began, ‘but copying what others have published won’t be enough. Hogwarts, a History was last updated sixty-eight years ago. A lot has happened since then, including two Triwizard Tournaments, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, and the educations of both Voldemort and Potter.’
She frowned at her tea.
*
Severus turned in his chair, looking his deputy in the eyes. ‘I don’t know how things are with you and Potter. It’s none of my business. But if you are willing to do this project, then you must be willing to interview him. Your own eyewitness accounts will be invaluable, but as the Dark Lord is not around to be interviewed, we need Potter’s insight. If you don’t want to do it, I’ll find someone else who can handle this project.’
She sat still and silent for several minutes. Finally, she asked, ‘What if he isn’t willing to be interviewed?’
*
Severus frowned. ‘Because of his experiences, or because it’s you?’
‘Either. Both,’ she muttered.
He very much wanted to ask her about it, but her uncomfortable expression stopped him. Instead, he scratched his chin and said thoughtfully, ‘Perhaps, between the two of us, we could bring him here. Use a bit of … persuasion.’
‘You aren’t going to hex him, are you?’ Despite her words, her expression and the tone of her voice indicated that she just might enjoy that.
‘Would you like me to?’ She chuckled, grinning, and he added, ‘No, you can do that well enough on your own.’
*
She looked at him with an odd, almost tender look on her face. ‘I have, you know.’
He smirked at her, then looked back at her papers. ‘I’m glad to hear it. His attitude toward me may have softened somewhat, but my own towards him hasn’t altered much.’ Especially since he was mad enough to throw you away. ‘There is a great deal too much of James in him.’
‘But isn’t there a great deal of Lily in him, too?’
That blinding, almost-forgotten rage coursed through his body. This conversation was suddenly too personal. ‘How would you know?’ he snapped.
*
Then it hit him. ‘He told you.’
‘Yes.’
Severus hadn’t gotten those memories back. He’d never asked Potter for them, having decided that he was better off without Lily and Albus haunting him. But - ‘How many people have seen them?’
‘They were taken by the Wizengamot as evidence. But Harry took me into the Pensieve before your trial.’
It could have been worse. At least Potter hadn’t sold tickets.
‘Do you still remember her?’
‘I have many memories that I didn’t give him. But she is … no longer … in my heart.’
‘Really?’
He looked into Hermione’s eyes again. ‘Yes.’
***SSHG***
Hogwarts, a History V
I’ve made it so that, even though human Apparition isn’t possible within the castle, the castle helps out the headmaster/headmistress by providing a doorway from his/her private rooms directly to the study connected to the office, no matter where in the castle the headmaster/headmistress chooses to reside. Think of the science fiction concept of a wormhole, and you know what the castle is doing.
Team: Order of the Phoenix
Rating: all ages
Challenge: Hogwarts History challenge
Characters: Severus, Hermione
Word Count: 7 x 100
Hogwarts, a History III
***SSHG***
At noon the next day, Severus entered his study through the doorway that led directly from his dungeon rooms. On days like today, when he’d gotten very little sleep, he greatly appreciated the castle’s consideration in not making him climb nine flights of stairs to reach his office.
He cleared the threshold and halted. He should have known.
Hermione was curled up on his too-short settee. Not wanting to disturb her just yet - who knew how long she’d stayed up? - he sat at his desk. But the chair creaked, and she let out a squeaky sigh before opening her eyes.
*
‘Morning,’ she muttered, sitting up. Wincing, she raised one hand behind her head and massaged her neck. Her hair, so neatly tamed yesterday, was now a huge aura around her head.
‘Good afternoon,’ Severus replied dryly. Hermione groaned again. He gestured to her scrolls. ‘Do you mind if I take a look?’
‘Not at all,’ she replied. She got up and went into the lavatory just off his study, shutting the door behind her.
He focused on her notes for the next several minutes, scanning through her notes. She’d made some good points, but research like this wouldn’t be sufficient.
*
He pulled a sheet of parchment and a quill towards him, starting a list. Movement caught his eye, and he saw Hermione at his side, holding out a cup of tea. ‘Thank you.’ She smiled, sipping her own tea, and sat down again. ‘I see where you’re going with this,’ he began, ‘but copying what others have published won’t be enough. Hogwarts, a History was last updated sixty-eight years ago. A lot has happened since then, including two Triwizard Tournaments, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, and the educations of both Voldemort and Potter.’
She frowned at her tea.
*
Severus turned in his chair, looking his deputy in the eyes. ‘I don’t know how things are with you and Potter. It’s none of my business. But if you are willing to do this project, then you must be willing to interview him. Your own eyewitness accounts will be invaluable, but as the Dark Lord is not around to be interviewed, we need Potter’s insight. If you don’t want to do it, I’ll find someone else who can handle this project.’
She sat still and silent for several minutes. Finally, she asked, ‘What if he isn’t willing to be interviewed?’
*
Severus frowned. ‘Because of his experiences, or because it’s you?’
‘Either. Both,’ she muttered.
He very much wanted to ask her about it, but her uncomfortable expression stopped him. Instead, he scratched his chin and said thoughtfully, ‘Perhaps, between the two of us, we could bring him here. Use a bit of … persuasion.’
‘You aren’t going to hex him, are you?’ Despite her words, her expression and the tone of her voice indicated that she just might enjoy that.
‘Would you like me to?’ She chuckled, grinning, and he added, ‘No, you can do that well enough on your own.’
*
She looked at him with an odd, almost tender look on her face. ‘I have, you know.’
He smirked at her, then looked back at her papers. ‘I’m glad to hear it. His attitude toward me may have softened somewhat, but my own towards him hasn’t altered much.’ Especially since he was mad enough to throw you away. ‘There is a great deal too much of James in him.’
‘But isn’t there a great deal of Lily in him, too?’
That blinding, almost-forgotten rage coursed through his body. This conversation was suddenly too personal. ‘How would you know?’ he snapped.
*
Then it hit him. ‘He told you.’
‘Yes.’
Severus hadn’t gotten those memories back. He’d never asked Potter for them, having decided that he was better off without Lily and Albus haunting him. But - ‘How many people have seen them?’
‘They were taken by the Wizengamot as evidence. But Harry took me into the Pensieve before your trial.’
It could have been worse. At least Potter hadn’t sold tickets.
‘Do you still remember her?’
‘I have many memories that I didn’t give him. But she is … no longer … in my heart.’
‘Really?’
He looked into Hermione’s eyes again. ‘Yes.’
***SSHG***
Hogwarts, a History V
I’ve made it so that, even though human Apparition isn’t possible within the castle, the castle helps out the headmaster/headmistress by providing a doorway from his/her private rooms directly to the study connected to the office, no matter where in the castle the headmaster/headmistress chooses to reside. Think of the science fiction concept of a wormhole, and you know what the castle is doing.