Vertical Stripes Can Make You Taller
Team Name: Death Eaters
Word Count: 100x10
Rating: PG
Challenge: I Told You So
Characters: Hermione/Severus, minor appearances of some other peeps.
Authors Notes: I played outside the sandbox with this. The rules dictate how many words I can use, but it doesn't say anything about how many pictures I can draw. XD So, along with the ten drabbles, there are ten sketchy things to look at that correspond to the story. <3 Please be nice, I haven't drawn or written anything in about a year. I realize belatedly that he's wearing vertical black and white stripes as opposed to horizontal ones. My bad -- I guess Snape's the prison referee.
Vertical
Stripes
Can
Make
You
Taller
Snape turned back to his book.
“I know that you don't want to speak to me,” Hermione began, “but I felt that I had to see you. I can get you out."
“Why?” he asked his book.
She huffed. “Well, so you can be free, of course. Live life, meet people, smell the roses!"
He flipped through several pages. “As pleasant as that sounds, I do not want to be exonerated by a murderess.”
The woman was shocked, then winded, then extremely angry.
“Damn it! Damn you!” she spat. “This is what I get for helping you? To think what I'm risking, even coming to see you! You god-awful, hypocritical bastard! What gives you the right? You murdered Dumbledore!"
“A fact of which I am well aware, being in jail for that very crime. As you should be for yours. But life is rarely fair - tell me, what other benefits are there from being friends with Harry Potter?”
She became very still. “There were extenuating circumstances to what happened to both of us, and you know it. Why are you being so stubborn?” She looked at the wall and said quietly, “I'm sorry, more sorry than you know, for what happened to Draco --”
She lifted her wand, but he continued screaming, undeterred. “You don't feel ashamed, or you would pay for what you did to him!”
Hermione was calm; her wand hand shook only slightly. “I pay every day. Can you pay more quickly in jail? Sounds like escapism to me.”
"Either tell me exactly why you are here pecking me to death, or go back to your prissy flat in Kensington and stop bothering me."
Hermione closed her eyes. “I can't just leave you here."
“Deal with it,” Snape sneered. “Where I am or what I do is none of your concern."
“Fine,” she said coolly. “Then I'll make you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Snape demanded through clenched teeth.
The next morning, Snape was shipped to the Ministry of Magic for a special hearing in front of the Wizengamot. He spotted Hermione, wearing plum robes and sitting sedately in the third row, as he was strapped to the chair; his trial began and ended within ten minutes, happening so fast he was not sure he caught all of it. He did not even say one word.
Snape was surprised when Harry Potter was called as a witness; he arrived with a portrait of Dumbledore in his hands. When the portrait spoke, Snape's heart leaped into his throat so high, he felt he was chewing on it.
He did not remember much of what was said, but distinctly remembered that Hermione nearly got into a fistfight with Dolores Umbridge over the latter's reaction to Dumbledore's speech; the Minister himself broke them apart and threatened to throw them both out.
Every time Snape opened his mouth to say something, Hermione caught his eye and glared at him menacingly.
When the Minister dispelled the straps on the chair, Snape realized he was a free man. Disturbed at the abruptness of the transition, he stood up, rubbing his forearms.
Hermione practically skipped toward him, smiling brightly. “See, didn't I tell you so? You're innocent! Just because we seemed like criminals doesn't mean we are!”
His glare sobered her. “You know that you deserve punishment for what you did. Draco Malfoy was not going to kill Dumbledore that night. You killing him may have been a misinformed and hasty decision, but that does not make you any less of a killer.”
Hermione smiled sadly, then reached forward and fingered his striped clothes.
“
I made a terrible mistake, but I can't carry so much guilt forever. It was war - I wouldn't have had to make that decision if things had been different. I will remember what I did, but I'll continue to live a normal life, because that is what we fought for.”
Snape cocked his head. “If you have let go of the past, then why bother with me?”
“I told you, I couldn't just leave you there. I love you too much to let you wallow in existential angst forever.”
Snape blinked. “What did you say?”
Her smile was coy now. “You were feeling unnaturally guilty. I wouldn't let you rot in jail because of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”
He grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes incredulously. “You love me? When did this start?”
“None of your business, but it stopped me from killing you after you killed Dumbledore. Actually, that hurt my feelings quite a bit, you know.”
“No, I didn't.” He sounded shell-shocked.
“Well, shall we go home? By the way, I don't live anywhere near Kensington. That was rather nasty of you.”
Dimly, he realized she was leading him out of the Ministry.
“I live near Birmingham, so we'll have to Apparate. Is that alright?”
Snape was staring at the floor in front of them, frowning slightly.
“Severus?”
He patted her arm in his as if checking if it was still there, and squinted vaguely down the hall.
She smirked evilly. “If you want to go back to Hogwarts, I'm sure that could be arranged.”
Snape blanched. “Absolutely not.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder.
Hermione smiled and drew him to her. She kissed him, and with a pop they vanished.
Word Count: 100x10
Rating: PG
Challenge: I Told You So
Characters: Hermione/Severus, minor appearances of some other peeps.
Authors Notes: I played outside the sandbox with this. The rules dictate how many words I can use, but it doesn't say anything about how many pictures I can draw. XD So, along with the ten drabbles, there are ten sketchy things to look at that correspond to the story. <3 Please be nice, I haven't drawn or written anything in about a year. I realize belatedly that he's wearing vertical black and white stripes as opposed to horizontal ones. My bad -- I guess Snape's the prison referee.
Vertical
Stripes
Can
Make
You
Taller
Snape turned back to his book.
“I know that you don't want to speak to me,” Hermione began, “but I felt that I had to see you. I can get you out."
“Why?” he asked his book.
She huffed. “Well, so you can be free, of course. Live life, meet people, smell the roses!"
He flipped through several pages. “As pleasant as that sounds, I do not want to be exonerated by a murderess.”
The woman was shocked, then winded, then extremely angry.
“Damn it! Damn you!” she spat. “This is what I get for helping you? To think what I'm risking, even coming to see you! You god-awful, hypocritical bastard! What gives you the right? You murdered Dumbledore!"
“A fact of which I am well aware, being in jail for that very crime. As you should be for yours. But life is rarely fair - tell me, what other benefits are there from being friends with Harry Potter?”
She became very still. “There were extenuating circumstances to what happened to both of us, and you know it. Why are you being so stubborn?” She looked at the wall and said quietly, “I'm sorry, more sorry than you know, for what happened to Draco --”
She lifted her wand, but he continued screaming, undeterred. “You don't feel ashamed, or you would pay for what you did to him!”
Hermione was calm; her wand hand shook only slightly. “I pay every day. Can you pay more quickly in jail? Sounds like escapism to me.”
"Either tell me exactly why you are here pecking me to death, or go back to your prissy flat in Kensington and stop bothering me."
Hermione closed her eyes. “I can't just leave you here."
“Deal with it,” Snape sneered. “Where I am or what I do is none of your concern."
“Fine,” she said coolly. “Then I'll make you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Snape demanded through clenched teeth.
The next morning, Snape was shipped to the Ministry of Magic for a special hearing in front of the Wizengamot. He spotted Hermione, wearing plum robes and sitting sedately in the third row, as he was strapped to the chair; his trial began and ended within ten minutes, happening so fast he was not sure he caught all of it. He did not even say one word.
Snape was surprised when Harry Potter was called as a witness; he arrived with a portrait of Dumbledore in his hands. When the portrait spoke, Snape's heart leaped into his throat so high, he felt he was chewing on it.
He did not remember much of what was said, but distinctly remembered that Hermione nearly got into a fistfight with Dolores Umbridge over the latter's reaction to Dumbledore's speech; the Minister himself broke them apart and threatened to throw them both out.
Every time Snape opened his mouth to say something, Hermione caught his eye and glared at him menacingly.
When the Minister dispelled the straps on the chair, Snape realized he was a free man. Disturbed at the abruptness of the transition, he stood up, rubbing his forearms.
Hermione practically skipped toward him, smiling brightly. “See, didn't I tell you so? You're innocent! Just because we seemed like criminals doesn't mean we are!”
His glare sobered her. “You know that you deserve punishment for what you did. Draco Malfoy was not going to kill Dumbledore that night. You killing him may have been a misinformed and hasty decision, but that does not make you any less of a killer.”
Hermione smiled sadly, then reached forward and fingered his striped clothes.
“
I made a terrible mistake, but I can't carry so much guilt forever. It was war - I wouldn't have had to make that decision if things had been different. I will remember what I did, but I'll continue to live a normal life, because that is what we fought for.”
Snape cocked his head. “If you have let go of the past, then why bother with me?”
“I told you, I couldn't just leave you there. I love you too much to let you wallow in existential angst forever.”
Snape blinked. “What did you say?”
Her smile was coy now. “You were feeling unnaturally guilty. I wouldn't let you rot in jail because of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”
He grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes incredulously. “You love me? When did this start?”
“None of your business, but it stopped me from killing you after you killed Dumbledore. Actually, that hurt my feelings quite a bit, you know.”
“No, I didn't.” He sounded shell-shocked.
“Well, shall we go home? By the way, I don't live anywhere near Kensington. That was rather nasty of you.”
Dimly, he realized she was leading him out of the Ministry.
“I live near Birmingham, so we'll have to Apparate. Is that alright?”
Snape was staring at the floor in front of them, frowning slightly.
“Severus?”
He patted her arm in his as if checking if it was still there, and squinted vaguely down the hall.
She smirked evilly. “If you want to go back to Hogwarts, I'm sure that could be arranged.”
Snape blanched. “Absolutely not.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder.
Hermione smiled and drew him to her. She kissed him, and with a pop they vanished.