Severus, Redux: Chapter Twenty-Eight
(in which they are found out )
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 21 December 1996, 4:30 AM
Severus woke slowly, Hermione's soft hand on his back gently shaking him awake. They were still entwined, sprawled across the thoroughly tousled bed and rather messy from their activities. Their activities. He smiled up at her, vaguely aware that his expression was probably somewhere between smug and besotted. Sex was quite possibly the best thing to exist… ever, including both magic and caffeine.
Reluctantly he shifted and stretched, forcing himself upright despite only a few hours of sleep. She followed, grasping his hand and wincing a bit as she stood. Despite her ginger, mincing steps, she was utterly spell-binding to watch. Her breasts were just perfect. He really couldn't quite get over that fact. They were just small enough to fit in his hands and just plump enough to jiggle distractingly as she moved.
Severus half-heartedly reached for his clothes, unable to keep his eyes off his girlfriend as she did the same. Her skin was rosy and warm from the bed, little splotches of red blossoming where he'd marked her throat and low on her stomach. Her carefully controlled hair from the night before had reverted to its usual curly mass, frizzing up into the riotous halo he was used to. She had just the slightest bit of a tummy and a neatly trimmed thatch of curls at the apex of her thighs. Vaguely, he wondered if she always kept it that way, or if she had done that in preparation for the night before, like the suspender belt.
He was brought back from his leering catalogue of her by a playful smack on his arm. Severus blinked, and then grinned as he realized that her cheeks were quite red. Silently acquiescing, Severus went about redressing, leaving off the formal outer dress robes and not bothering to tuck his shirt in. She was muttering and swiping her wand at her crumpled dress, trying to transfigure it without making it impossible to revert back to its original lines.
"You're probably wasting your time; if anyone sees you, it's going to be obvious," he told her. She ignored him and slipped the dress on, wandering into the loo to frown at the still-crumpled but now transfigured frock in the mirror. He then saw her wince and touch her hair. Concerned, he followed her and turned her around, scolding gently. "Stop it. You're beautiful."
Her expression softened, and she leaned into him. "I love that you think so."
He lifted his nose in an expression of mock-snobbery. "I'll have you know that I have studied the female form for several years now." He lifted an eyebrow at her as she started to laugh softly. "I'm a veritable connoisseur. Having seen you up close and in detail, I can attest that you, Hermione Granger, are perfect." He kissed her forehead. "I'll smuggle you a pain potion or muscle relaxant as soon as I can get my hands on one," he promised.
She snorted, and then touched his cheekbone gently. "You're sweet." She laughed as he squirmed, and then said teasingly, "don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You are, though. You were very solicitous of my comfort--both mentally and physically, and though it wasn't necessary, it was sweet of you to perform the contraception charm."
"But I didn't…!" Severus went cold with fear before the second half of her sentence registered. Clearing his throat, he responded carefully, "I didn't perform a contraceptive charm. You did?"
She smiled, her cheeks dimpling a little. "I took care of it," she confirmed. "I took the potion after the first time you got my blouse unbuttoned. I thought it couldn't hurt, seeing as how things were getting a bit more serious."
Severus' relief nearly knocked him over, and still a bit wobbly-kneed, he sat down on the bed again. He loved her, but he was definitely not ready for that.
Her smile became confusion. "Hang on, if it wasn't a contraceptive spell of some kind, what was that you were casting right before, then?"
Severus felt himself blush in reply and cursed mentally. Unlike Hermione, his combination of fair skin and dark hair was not charming when he blushed. He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the heat in his cheeks, and muttered, "A spell. Accipies de Sanguine Virginis. I wasn't sure if it'd work wandless, but I thought it might come in handy if it did…"
Hermione looked blank for a moment, and then burst into laughter. "You were about to lose your virginity, and you were thinking about potion components?"
Severus crossed his arms defensively. "I was trying to distract myself at first, and then I remembered. Willing virgin's blood is a Class V component, on par with unicorn horn. Even a little bit is worth a small fortune..." He trailed off, shrugging a little, letting his hair fall into his face. It was greasy again, he noted.
Still clearly amused, she shook her head slightly. "Well, did it work?"
Severus blinked. "I haven't checked. I honestly forgot. Nearest vial or beaker is in the sitting room." He left quickly, and came back a moment later, still appearing sheepish, but holding up a large beaker with a very small amount of blood in it. He cleared his throat. "It looks like almost five milliliters. You'll, ah...want to keep that in something smaller I imagine, and be careful if you plan to sell it. Someone who knows the source and also knows what they're doing could use it to cast something nasty on you."
Hermione accepted the beaker solemnly, amusement still in her eyes, and transfigured it into a thick glass capsule, no larger than her thumb. Storing it in her pocket, she leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. "I love you, and you wouldn't be you if you didn't think of things like this."
He was being placated, but couldn't keep himself from brightening anyway. She loved him. Enough to give herself to him, enough to try to reassure him when he was embarrassed. Cheerfully, he helped her gather the remainder of their things, already attempting to plan the next time he could sneak her back into the room and try it again.
A familiar ping followed closely by another interrupted them, warning that someone had crossed his simple ward lines from months earlier. Severus found himself exchanging a guilty, conspiratorial smile with Hermione. Over the months, they'd had gotten used to the double ping as staff members passed by the door; they rarely even noticed when they were not timing their coming and going. It was a bit unnerving to hear someone walking by so early in the morning right after the night they'd had.
Then the wards clicked, and Severus whipped back to stare at the entrance in horror. Hermione blanched, and her mouth opened as they both realised. The double ping had not been a person crossing both wards. It had been two people crossing just one, and stopping in front of the door.
There isn't enough time to run, hide or clean up, Severus thought miserably. They were about to be discovered. If he were lucky, it would be Professor Snape, who might be willing to just remove house points and send them packing. If he were unlucky…
The door opened, and Severus felt his heart plummet into his stomach as the Deputy Headmistress entered, her expression stony. Hermione let out a small, unhappy moan next to him.
Oh, no. Oh, Merlin's fucking pants on a line. Somehow, she'd found out. Somehow Professor-Ironpants-Sodding-McGargoyle had discovered that he'd spent the night shagging her special pet student. He was now going to be tortured on Gryffindor's parapet, or fed to the loch's grindylows or whatever the punishment was for getting caught defiling one of the Gryffindor Princesses.
Despite wearing a dressing gown over her night clothes, Professor McGonagall was as intimidating to him as when he had first met her at eleven years old. Her usual stern expression was set in harsh, forbidding lines that only deepened as she took in the state of the room and the unmistakable scent of musk in the air. Before she could say anything, however, Potter barreled past her, shoving his way into the room.
"He's here, isn't he!" he shouted. "I told you! I told you he was doing something perverted and using dark magic forcing Hermione to…" his voice trailed off and Potter's face went tomato-red as he saw Severus. "You. You're… No. No, you can't be, I've seen you and him and…" his head swung back and forth between Severus and Hermione. "Tell me you just have the same name, for some reason,” he begged. “You're just Severus Snape, Junior or something, and you go by Atreus because... because..."
Professor McGonagall's quiet tones of barely concealed anger and disappointment were worse than any of the times she had ever shouted at him. "Mister Prince, Miss Granger, you will accompany me to the Headmaster's office, immediately. Mister Potter, return to your dormitory, this no longer concerns you."
Potter started to protest loudly, only to have Professor McGonagall cut him off with an icy glare. "Clearly, your allegations concerning Professor Snape were unwarranted. Make no mistake, that will be addressed later." Her voice rose as her hold on her temper began to fray. "In the meantime, Potter, for once in your life do as you are told."
Beside him, Hermione shook her head, her voice soft as she spoke. "I'm sorry, Harry, I told the headmaster we should tell you about Severus. I told him it wasn't right."
"Then you knew? You knew that he was--he's--But how is he doing it? If he's Snape, who's Snape, really!"
"Harry, I swear, I can explain!"
Potter started castigating her again, loudly, demanding answers without letting her actually answer any of them until Professor Mcgonagall interrupted, her voice cracking over Potter's like a whip.
"Mister Potter!" Her hands went to her hips as she took in the three of them. "All of you to the headmaster's office. Immediately. You lot have quite a bit of explaining to do."
Hermione gave him a miserable look and then proceeded out the door. Potter's own glare was absolutely venomous, but he followed Hermione. He tried to demand answers again in the hall, this time whispering furiously, only to have Professor McGonagall whip around and pin him with a scary look.
The silent walk from the third floor corridor to the seventh floor entrance of the headmaster's office was the longest Severus could remember. Despite the dread pooling in his gut over what was surely to come, Severus was almost relieved when the stone gargoyle removed itself from the entrance and the professor ushered them up the spiralling staircase.
It should have been surprising to find his older self and the headmaster already in the office, both fully dressed. Professor McGonagall had not alerted them by any discernable means on the walk there, and surely they had no reason to meet at five in the morning on the first day of the winter hols, yet there they were. Neither of them looked particularly surprised to see Professor McGonagall and the three students she had in tow, either.
"Severus. I'm glad to find you here, as this concerns you, too." Professor McGonagall greeted.
The corner of Professor Snape's mouth twitched down in response, and his eyes narrowed as they landed on Severus. Dumbledore, in contrast, only looked faintly curious. "What seems to be the trouble, Professor?" he asked.
"I caught Mister Potter leaving his dormitory this morning, and he made the rather wild accusation that Professor Snape was using coercion to demand inappropriate things of Miss Granger. He furthermore asserted that if I followed him, he could prove it." Professor McGonagall explained. "Of course such accusations must be taken seriously, regardless of how...outlandish they might seem."
Professor Snape's face twisted into an ugly sneer, but he did not say anything as the Transfiguration professor continued. "Mister Potter surprised me further by leading me directly to Severus' designated quarters, where we found Mister Prince and Miss Granger. They had clearly been involved in illicit activities."
"He's Snape!" Harry burst out. "I don't know how, but you have to believe me, Professor! Prince is really Snape, somehow!"
"Oh, for Cassandra's sake." Professor Snape muttered, sighing. "Who told him?"
"I told you we should." Hermione added plaintively. "You didn't listen, but I told you." She frowned. "Wait a minute, those were your quarters? That can't be! We've been using them--" Her mouth snapped shut as she realised what she was saying, and she glanced at Severus apologetically.
"Hmmm, yes. You're quite right, Harry, of course, in a way." Professor Dumbledore had the temerity to ignore everyone else in the room and address Potter, making it sound as if the other boy was being especially clever. "You see, Professor Snape ran afoul a strange bit of magic in his youth that resulted in his presence here out of his correct time. We've been keeping that a secret for his protection."
"You all knew, though! Even Hermione, and you didn't tell me!" Harry's voice was tight with anger. He rounded on Hermione, who flinched as his face contorted with anger. "You're supposed to be my BEST FRIEND, but not even YOU told me. AND YOU'VE BEEN FUCKING HIM." He screamed at the girl. "HOW COULD YOU, HERMIONE? How could you? With PROFESSOR SNAPE?" He opened his mouth to shout again only to have nothing come out.
Professor Snape calmly re-sheathed his wand. "That's better," he said softly. He scowled at Professor McGonagall's indignant expression. "Oh, stop it. You wanted to do it, too. Since no-one else was actually bothering to shut him up, I thought it best."
"Severus," Professor McGonagall stepped towards him softly, an arrested expression on her face as she drank in his features as if seeing them for the first time. "Is he really… You're really him?"
Severus nodded silently, not trusting himself to speak.
"My gods." She whispered softly. "How?"
"First things first." Professor Snape said brusquely. "Granger and Prince were discovered blatantly disregarding curfew, trespassing in staff quarters, and engaging in sexual activities. The usual punishment is one hundred points each, and a ban on all future Hogsmeade weekends for the year, as well as a week of detentions. We would typically send letters to the offender's parents, as well. Hardly necessary in this case, as I have now been informed and Miss Granger's parents are, by her own admission, in hiding and unaware of her existence…" His voice trailed off and he sneered when Severus cut a shocked glance at his girlfriend. "What, your doting little lover didn't bother to tell you?"
Severus shook his head slightly, still staring at Hermione. It was no wonder Hermione had been sensitive about comments regarding her parents, and so out of sorts in the beginning of the year. Why hadn't Hermione told him?
"Which is another thing, of course." Professor Snape continued, his voice only barely hiding his pleasure. "No doubt such offenses are grounds for revoking her status as prefect--that's quite unseemly behaviour to uphold as a model for impressionable young children."
Hermione visibly flinched and hunched in on herself, tears starting to leak from her eyes as she stared up at her Potions professor.
"Gryffindor's prefects are a matter of my jurisdiction, Severus." Professor McGonagall responded haughtily.
Professor Dumbledore finally spoke. "I don't think there is any need to strip Miss Granger of her badge. Certainly she was caught demonstrating poor behaviour, but everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance, do they not, Professor Snape?" He said it mildly enough, but the professor reacted as if he had been slapped.
"The original and usual punishment stands," Professor McGonagall said firmly. "And, another ten points from all three children for being out of their dormitories."
"And another fifty from Granger and Prince for being in my quarters." Professor Snape added silkily. "That, Minerva, is my jurisdiction."
Severus winced. A hundred and sixty points all said and done, plus no more Hogsmeade weekends, and a week of detentions! It was the steepest punishment he'd ever heard of for any transgression.
"About that." Professor McGonagall crossed her arms. "Just how is it that they had access and you haven't noticed?"
"Obviously, Prince has access because the wards recognized his magic. No doubt he let Granger in," Professor Snape answered contemptuously, leaving out that Severus had stayed there during the end of the previous school year. "You know they are only there in my name as a formality; I have not used them at all in quite a long time." Professor Snape's eyes drifted back to Harry, who was still struggling to overcome the silencing spell he'd been struck with.
"I am more concerned with knowing how Potter found out they were there."
"He's got a map," Severus answered, taking vicious pleasure in knowing the magical object would be confiscated. "It shows everyone in the castle at all times. There's no way to trick it or hide. He probably got it from Black."
Professor Snape nodded slightly, looking more resigned than pleased. "And so, at last, it becomes clear. Black and Potter always had the uncanny ability of knowing precisely where I was at all times and when there were no professors around to intervene."
"What a horrific breach in privacy!" Professor McGonagall cried. "It can show them everyone? Everywhere? The teachers' quarters, the girls' dormitories and locker rooms? The baths?"
"It labels where people are, you don't actually see them," Hermione answered. "It doesn't show the Come and Go room either." She cleared her throat and then added reluctantly, "Harry's been using it to follow Malfoy around, and that's where he keeps disappearing into."
"Still!" Professor McGonagall's shrill exclamation overlapped with Professor Dumbledore's mused, "That's very interesting." The older woman glared at her employer, then crossed over to Potter.
"Hand it over, Mister Potter. You were able to lead me directly to where Mr. Prince--" she faltered, glancing at Severus again, "and Miss Granger were. You must have it with you."
"Minerva, surely I--" Professor Dumbledore started.
"No, I don't trust you with it anymore I do him. The portraits spy for you enough as it is." Professor McGonagall shot back.
"Agreed." Professor Snape's murmur was almost inaudible.
Looking sulky, and still outraged, Potter dug in his pocket and pulled out a folded bit of parchment. Cradling it to his chest he gestured at his throat pointedly.
"Mister Potter, do not think for a moment that you get to dictate anything. The only reason I am countering Professor Snape's charm is because he should not have done it in the first place. You had best choose your words very wisely," she cautioned.
Professor Snape glared and murmured, "Undermining--"
Potter cleared his throat experimentally, then quickly tapped the parchment with his wand. "Mischief Managed!" His eyes darted down, and looking slightly relieved, he passed it to his head of house. She, too, peered at the parchment.
"You've erased it. No doubt it's password protected? Yes, that will do." She gave the headmaster a challenging look. "We'll discuss it later, Albus. Now if there isn't anything else, I'm sure the children are tired. I certainly am. Breakfast is not for another two hours yet at its earliest, and they've a long train ride ahead of them today."
Potter glared at Hermione. "You said you didn't know anything about it. You should have told me." He crossed his arms. "I don't care what they said, you should've said."
"I know, Harry, I'm sorry."
Potter shook his head cynically. "Yeah, now that you've been caught. I don't believe you. I don't...I don't think I can believe anything you say."
"Harry!" Hermione's voice was anguished.
"Shove off, Hermione. Just...keep your distance." Potter turned to leave, then hesitated. Glancing back over his shoulder at Severus, he asked, "that's why you hexed me, last year, isn't it?" Potter stared at him intently. "You'd just gotten here, and you didn't realise. You thought I was... you thought I was my dad. People always say… they say I look like him."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter. I've told you that before." Severus answered belligerently.
Potter snorted. "Right. Well, what it's worth, I didn't like how they treated you when I found out." His expression soured again, and with an angry stomp, left the headmaster's office.
Hermione gave a soft little sob. "Every time things start to finally be right it always goes wrong again," she complained. "By the time I see him again, he'll have told Ron and neither of them will speak to me."
Severus gathered her in, tucking her under his arm. "Surely they won't just cut you off. They got over it in the beginning of the year when they were mad," he said unconvincingly. "They'll cool down a bit over hols."
"You don't know them like I do," she replied pitifully.
"As fascinating as this conversation is, I have absolutely no desire to hear it. Out, Mr. Prince, Miss Granger. Back to your dormitories, and you may be certain I will ask the portraits to be sure that you took yourselves directly there."
Grateful to be excused, Severus tugged on Hermione's hand, pulling her toward the staircase. The adults were barely out of sight when Professor Snape's quiet voice floated down the staircase to them. "You've known me over twenty-five years, Minerva, but you believed him. Why? You know I would never touch a student."
"I wouldn't, typically. But Hermione Granger isn't exactly a typical student, is she?"
Their voices became inaudible as the stairs spiralled lower. Shocked, Severus stared down at the girl still tucked under his arm. "Why would she think… I mean, just because you're my girlfriend, doesn't mean he likes you." He shook his head. "Professor McGonagall didn't know that we were the same, though, either. So why… He hasn't said or done anything, has he?"
Hermione shook her head. "What? Of course not. He's always made it clear that he doesn't like me, remember?"
Her voice didn't sound entirely certain, though, and something felt off to Severus.
A/N: Thank you for reading. :-) Please tell me your thoughts.
Side note: I am in the market for a British person to read my work and correct my Americanisms, American spelled words, and listening to the occasional meltdown. Benefits include getting to read ahead of time and plot spoilers should you want them. Perfect grammar is not required. :-) Apply within.
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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 21 December 1996, 4:30 AM
Severus woke slowly, Hermione's soft hand on his back gently shaking him awake. They were still entwined, sprawled across the thoroughly tousled bed and rather messy from their activities. Their activities. He smiled up at her, vaguely aware that his expression was probably somewhere between smug and besotted. Sex was quite possibly the best thing to exist… ever, including both magic and caffeine.
Reluctantly he shifted and stretched, forcing himself upright despite only a few hours of sleep. She followed, grasping his hand and wincing a bit as she stood. Despite her ginger, mincing steps, she was utterly spell-binding to watch. Her breasts were just perfect. He really couldn't quite get over that fact. They were just small enough to fit in his hands and just plump enough to jiggle distractingly as she moved.
Severus half-heartedly reached for his clothes, unable to keep his eyes off his girlfriend as she did the same. Her skin was rosy and warm from the bed, little splotches of red blossoming where he'd marked her throat and low on her stomach. Her carefully controlled hair from the night before had reverted to its usual curly mass, frizzing up into the riotous halo he was used to. She had just the slightest bit of a tummy and a neatly trimmed thatch of curls at the apex of her thighs. Vaguely, he wondered if she always kept it that way, or if she had done that in preparation for the night before, like the suspender belt.
He was brought back from his leering catalogue of her by a playful smack on his arm. Severus blinked, and then grinned as he realized that her cheeks were quite red. Silently acquiescing, Severus went about redressing, leaving off the formal outer dress robes and not bothering to tuck his shirt in. She was muttering and swiping her wand at her crumpled dress, trying to transfigure it without making it impossible to revert back to its original lines.
"You're probably wasting your time; if anyone sees you, it's going to be obvious," he told her. She ignored him and slipped the dress on, wandering into the loo to frown at the still-crumpled but now transfigured frock in the mirror. He then saw her wince and touch her hair. Concerned, he followed her and turned her around, scolding gently. "Stop it. You're beautiful."
Her expression softened, and she leaned into him. "I love that you think so."
He lifted his nose in an expression of mock-snobbery. "I'll have you know that I have studied the female form for several years now." He lifted an eyebrow at her as she started to laugh softly. "I'm a veritable connoisseur. Having seen you up close and in detail, I can attest that you, Hermione Granger, are perfect." He kissed her forehead. "I'll smuggle you a pain potion or muscle relaxant as soon as I can get my hands on one," he promised.
She snorted, and then touched his cheekbone gently. "You're sweet." She laughed as he squirmed, and then said teasingly, "don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You are, though. You were very solicitous of my comfort--both mentally and physically, and though it wasn't necessary, it was sweet of you to perform the contraception charm."
"But I didn't…!" Severus went cold with fear before the second half of her sentence registered. Clearing his throat, he responded carefully, "I didn't perform a contraceptive charm. You did?"
She smiled, her cheeks dimpling a little. "I took care of it," she confirmed. "I took the potion after the first time you got my blouse unbuttoned. I thought it couldn't hurt, seeing as how things were getting a bit more serious."
Severus' relief nearly knocked him over, and still a bit wobbly-kneed, he sat down on the bed again. He loved her, but he was definitely not ready for that.
Her smile became confusion. "Hang on, if it wasn't a contraceptive spell of some kind, what was that you were casting right before, then?"
Severus felt himself blush in reply and cursed mentally. Unlike Hermione, his combination of fair skin and dark hair was not charming when he blushed. He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the heat in his cheeks, and muttered, "A spell. Accipies de Sanguine Virginis. I wasn't sure if it'd work wandless, but I thought it might come in handy if it did…"
Hermione looked blank for a moment, and then burst into laughter. "You were about to lose your virginity, and you were thinking about potion components?"
Severus crossed his arms defensively. "I was trying to distract myself at first, and then I remembered. Willing virgin's blood is a Class V component, on par with unicorn horn. Even a little bit is worth a small fortune..." He trailed off, shrugging a little, letting his hair fall into his face. It was greasy again, he noted.
Still clearly amused, she shook her head slightly. "Well, did it work?"
Severus blinked. "I haven't checked. I honestly forgot. Nearest vial or beaker is in the sitting room." He left quickly, and came back a moment later, still appearing sheepish, but holding up a large beaker with a very small amount of blood in it. He cleared his throat. "It looks like almost five milliliters. You'll, ah...want to keep that in something smaller I imagine, and be careful if you plan to sell it. Someone who knows the source and also knows what they're doing could use it to cast something nasty on you."
Hermione accepted the beaker solemnly, amusement still in her eyes, and transfigured it into a thick glass capsule, no larger than her thumb. Storing it in her pocket, she leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. "I love you, and you wouldn't be you if you didn't think of things like this."
He was being placated, but couldn't keep himself from brightening anyway. She loved him. Enough to give herself to him, enough to try to reassure him when he was embarrassed. Cheerfully, he helped her gather the remainder of their things, already attempting to plan the next time he could sneak her back into the room and try it again.
A familiar ping followed closely by another interrupted them, warning that someone had crossed his simple ward lines from months earlier. Severus found himself exchanging a guilty, conspiratorial smile with Hermione. Over the months, they'd had gotten used to the double ping as staff members passed by the door; they rarely even noticed when they were not timing their coming and going. It was a bit unnerving to hear someone walking by so early in the morning right after the night they'd had.
Then the wards clicked, and Severus whipped back to stare at the entrance in horror. Hermione blanched, and her mouth opened as they both realised. The double ping had not been a person crossing both wards. It had been two people crossing just one, and stopping in front of the door.
There isn't enough time to run, hide or clean up, Severus thought miserably. They were about to be discovered. If he were lucky, it would be Professor Snape, who might be willing to just remove house points and send them packing. If he were unlucky…
The door opened, and Severus felt his heart plummet into his stomach as the Deputy Headmistress entered, her expression stony. Hermione let out a small, unhappy moan next to him.
Oh, no. Oh, Merlin's fucking pants on a line. Somehow, she'd found out. Somehow Professor-Ironpants-Sodding-McGargoyle had discovered that he'd spent the night shagging her special pet student. He was now going to be tortured on Gryffindor's parapet, or fed to the loch's grindylows or whatever the punishment was for getting caught defiling one of the Gryffindor Princesses.
Despite wearing a dressing gown over her night clothes, Professor McGonagall was as intimidating to him as when he had first met her at eleven years old. Her usual stern expression was set in harsh, forbidding lines that only deepened as she took in the state of the room and the unmistakable scent of musk in the air. Before she could say anything, however, Potter barreled past her, shoving his way into the room.
"He's here, isn't he!" he shouted. "I told you! I told you he was doing something perverted and using dark magic forcing Hermione to…" his voice trailed off and Potter's face went tomato-red as he saw Severus. "You. You're… No. No, you can't be, I've seen you and him and…" his head swung back and forth between Severus and Hermione. "Tell me you just have the same name, for some reason,” he begged. “You're just Severus Snape, Junior or something, and you go by Atreus because... because..."
Professor McGonagall's quiet tones of barely concealed anger and disappointment were worse than any of the times she had ever shouted at him. "Mister Prince, Miss Granger, you will accompany me to the Headmaster's office, immediately. Mister Potter, return to your dormitory, this no longer concerns you."
Potter started to protest loudly, only to have Professor McGonagall cut him off with an icy glare. "Clearly, your allegations concerning Professor Snape were unwarranted. Make no mistake, that will be addressed later." Her voice rose as her hold on her temper began to fray. "In the meantime, Potter, for once in your life do as you are told."
Beside him, Hermione shook her head, her voice soft as she spoke. "I'm sorry, Harry, I told the headmaster we should tell you about Severus. I told him it wasn't right."
"Then you knew? You knew that he was--he's--But how is he doing it? If he's Snape, who's Snape, really!"
"Harry, I swear, I can explain!"
Potter started castigating her again, loudly, demanding answers without letting her actually answer any of them until Professor Mcgonagall interrupted, her voice cracking over Potter's like a whip.
"Mister Potter!" Her hands went to her hips as she took in the three of them. "All of you to the headmaster's office. Immediately. You lot have quite a bit of explaining to do."
Hermione gave him a miserable look and then proceeded out the door. Potter's own glare was absolutely venomous, but he followed Hermione. He tried to demand answers again in the hall, this time whispering furiously, only to have Professor McGonagall whip around and pin him with a scary look.
The silent walk from the third floor corridor to the seventh floor entrance of the headmaster's office was the longest Severus could remember. Despite the dread pooling in his gut over what was surely to come, Severus was almost relieved when the stone gargoyle removed itself from the entrance and the professor ushered them up the spiralling staircase.
It should have been surprising to find his older self and the headmaster already in the office, both fully dressed. Professor McGonagall had not alerted them by any discernable means on the walk there, and surely they had no reason to meet at five in the morning on the first day of the winter hols, yet there they were. Neither of them looked particularly surprised to see Professor McGonagall and the three students she had in tow, either.
"Severus. I'm glad to find you here, as this concerns you, too." Professor McGonagall greeted.
The corner of Professor Snape's mouth twitched down in response, and his eyes narrowed as they landed on Severus. Dumbledore, in contrast, only looked faintly curious. "What seems to be the trouble, Professor?" he asked.
"I caught Mister Potter leaving his dormitory this morning, and he made the rather wild accusation that Professor Snape was using coercion to demand inappropriate things of Miss Granger. He furthermore asserted that if I followed him, he could prove it." Professor McGonagall explained. "Of course such accusations must be taken seriously, regardless of how...outlandish they might seem."
Professor Snape's face twisted into an ugly sneer, but he did not say anything as the Transfiguration professor continued. "Mister Potter surprised me further by leading me directly to Severus' designated quarters, where we found Mister Prince and Miss Granger. They had clearly been involved in illicit activities."
"He's Snape!" Harry burst out. "I don't know how, but you have to believe me, Professor! Prince is really Snape, somehow!"
"Oh, for Cassandra's sake." Professor Snape muttered, sighing. "Who told him?"
"I told you we should." Hermione added plaintively. "You didn't listen, but I told you." She frowned. "Wait a minute, those were your quarters? That can't be! We've been using them--" Her mouth snapped shut as she realised what she was saying, and she glanced at Severus apologetically.
"Hmmm, yes. You're quite right, Harry, of course, in a way." Professor Dumbledore had the temerity to ignore everyone else in the room and address Potter, making it sound as if the other boy was being especially clever. "You see, Professor Snape ran afoul a strange bit of magic in his youth that resulted in his presence here out of his correct time. We've been keeping that a secret for his protection."
"You all knew, though! Even Hermione, and you didn't tell me!" Harry's voice was tight with anger. He rounded on Hermione, who flinched as his face contorted with anger. "You're supposed to be my BEST FRIEND, but not even YOU told me. AND YOU'VE BEEN FUCKING HIM." He screamed at the girl. "HOW COULD YOU, HERMIONE? How could you? With PROFESSOR SNAPE?" He opened his mouth to shout again only to have nothing come out.
Professor Snape calmly re-sheathed his wand. "That's better," he said softly. He scowled at Professor McGonagall's indignant expression. "Oh, stop it. You wanted to do it, too. Since no-one else was actually bothering to shut him up, I thought it best."
"Severus," Professor McGonagall stepped towards him softly, an arrested expression on her face as she drank in his features as if seeing them for the first time. "Is he really… You're really him?"
Severus nodded silently, not trusting himself to speak.
"My gods." She whispered softly. "How?"
"First things first." Professor Snape said brusquely. "Granger and Prince were discovered blatantly disregarding curfew, trespassing in staff quarters, and engaging in sexual activities. The usual punishment is one hundred points each, and a ban on all future Hogsmeade weekends for the year, as well as a week of detentions. We would typically send letters to the offender's parents, as well. Hardly necessary in this case, as I have now been informed and Miss Granger's parents are, by her own admission, in hiding and unaware of her existence…" His voice trailed off and he sneered when Severus cut a shocked glance at his girlfriend. "What, your doting little lover didn't bother to tell you?"
Severus shook his head slightly, still staring at Hermione. It was no wonder Hermione had been sensitive about comments regarding her parents, and so out of sorts in the beginning of the year. Why hadn't Hermione told him?
"Which is another thing, of course." Professor Snape continued, his voice only barely hiding his pleasure. "No doubt such offenses are grounds for revoking her status as prefect--that's quite unseemly behaviour to uphold as a model for impressionable young children."
Hermione visibly flinched and hunched in on herself, tears starting to leak from her eyes as she stared up at her Potions professor.
"Gryffindor's prefects are a matter of my jurisdiction, Severus." Professor McGonagall responded haughtily.
Professor Dumbledore finally spoke. "I don't think there is any need to strip Miss Granger of her badge. Certainly she was caught demonstrating poor behaviour, but everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance, do they not, Professor Snape?" He said it mildly enough, but the professor reacted as if he had been slapped.
"The original and usual punishment stands," Professor McGonagall said firmly. "And, another ten points from all three children for being out of their dormitories."
"And another fifty from Granger and Prince for being in my quarters." Professor Snape added silkily. "That, Minerva, is my jurisdiction."
Severus winced. A hundred and sixty points all said and done, plus no more Hogsmeade weekends, and a week of detentions! It was the steepest punishment he'd ever heard of for any transgression.
"About that." Professor McGonagall crossed her arms. "Just how is it that they had access and you haven't noticed?"
"Obviously, Prince has access because the wards recognized his magic. No doubt he let Granger in," Professor Snape answered contemptuously, leaving out that Severus had stayed there during the end of the previous school year. "You know they are only there in my name as a formality; I have not used them at all in quite a long time." Professor Snape's eyes drifted back to Harry, who was still struggling to overcome the silencing spell he'd been struck with.
"I am more concerned with knowing how Potter found out they were there."
"He's got a map," Severus answered, taking vicious pleasure in knowing the magical object would be confiscated. "It shows everyone in the castle at all times. There's no way to trick it or hide. He probably got it from Black."
Professor Snape nodded slightly, looking more resigned than pleased. "And so, at last, it becomes clear. Black and Potter always had the uncanny ability of knowing precisely where I was at all times and when there were no professors around to intervene."
"What a horrific breach in privacy!" Professor McGonagall cried. "It can show them everyone? Everywhere? The teachers' quarters, the girls' dormitories and locker rooms? The baths?"
"It labels where people are, you don't actually see them," Hermione answered. "It doesn't show the Come and Go room either." She cleared her throat and then added reluctantly, "Harry's been using it to follow Malfoy around, and that's where he keeps disappearing into."
"Still!" Professor McGonagall's shrill exclamation overlapped with Professor Dumbledore's mused, "That's very interesting." The older woman glared at her employer, then crossed over to Potter.
"Hand it over, Mister Potter. You were able to lead me directly to where Mr. Prince--" she faltered, glancing at Severus again, "and Miss Granger were. You must have it with you."
"Minerva, surely I--" Professor Dumbledore started.
"No, I don't trust you with it anymore I do him. The portraits spy for you enough as it is." Professor McGonagall shot back.
"Agreed." Professor Snape's murmur was almost inaudible.
Looking sulky, and still outraged, Potter dug in his pocket and pulled out a folded bit of parchment. Cradling it to his chest he gestured at his throat pointedly.
"Mister Potter, do not think for a moment that you get to dictate anything. The only reason I am countering Professor Snape's charm is because he should not have done it in the first place. You had best choose your words very wisely," she cautioned.
Professor Snape glared and murmured, "Undermining--"
Potter cleared his throat experimentally, then quickly tapped the parchment with his wand. "Mischief Managed!" His eyes darted down, and looking slightly relieved, he passed it to his head of house. She, too, peered at the parchment.
"You've erased it. No doubt it's password protected? Yes, that will do." She gave the headmaster a challenging look. "We'll discuss it later, Albus. Now if there isn't anything else, I'm sure the children are tired. I certainly am. Breakfast is not for another two hours yet at its earliest, and they've a long train ride ahead of them today."
Potter glared at Hermione. "You said you didn't know anything about it. You should have told me." He crossed his arms. "I don't care what they said, you should've said."
"I know, Harry, I'm sorry."
Potter shook his head cynically. "Yeah, now that you've been caught. I don't believe you. I don't...I don't think I can believe anything you say."
"Harry!" Hermione's voice was anguished.
"Shove off, Hermione. Just...keep your distance." Potter turned to leave, then hesitated. Glancing back over his shoulder at Severus, he asked, "that's why you hexed me, last year, isn't it?" Potter stared at him intently. "You'd just gotten here, and you didn't realise. You thought I was... you thought I was my dad. People always say… they say I look like him."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter. I've told you that before." Severus answered belligerently.
Potter snorted. "Right. Well, what it's worth, I didn't like how they treated you when I found out." His expression soured again, and with an angry stomp, left the headmaster's office.
Hermione gave a soft little sob. "Every time things start to finally be right it always goes wrong again," she complained. "By the time I see him again, he'll have told Ron and neither of them will speak to me."
Severus gathered her in, tucking her under his arm. "Surely they won't just cut you off. They got over it in the beginning of the year when they were mad," he said unconvincingly. "They'll cool down a bit over hols."
"You don't know them like I do," she replied pitifully.
"As fascinating as this conversation is, I have absolutely no desire to hear it. Out, Mr. Prince, Miss Granger. Back to your dormitories, and you may be certain I will ask the portraits to be sure that you took yourselves directly there."
Grateful to be excused, Severus tugged on Hermione's hand, pulling her toward the staircase. The adults were barely out of sight when Professor Snape's quiet voice floated down the staircase to them. "You've known me over twenty-five years, Minerva, but you believed him. Why? You know I would never touch a student."
"I wouldn't, typically. But Hermione Granger isn't exactly a typical student, is she?"
Their voices became inaudible as the stairs spiralled lower. Shocked, Severus stared down at the girl still tucked under his arm. "Why would she think… I mean, just because you're my girlfriend, doesn't mean he likes you." He shook his head. "Professor McGonagall didn't know that we were the same, though, either. So why… He hasn't said or done anything, has he?"
Hermione shook her head. "What? Of course not. He's always made it clear that he doesn't like me, remember?"
Her voice didn't sound entirely certain, though, and something felt off to Severus.
A/N: Thank you for reading. :-) Please tell me your thoughts.
Side note: I am in the market for a British person to read my work and correct my Americanisms, American spelled words, and listening to the occasional meltdown. Benefits include getting to read ahead of time and plot spoilers should you want them. Perfect grammar is not required. :-) Apply within.
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