“beyond wandpoint” 050 by gingerbred
Mar. 21st, 2019 02:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beyondwandpoint“11 10m Monday - The Announcement”
Hermione, Severus, Albus, Fay, Georgina, Misc. Students
Originally Published: 2018-01-12 on AO3
Chapter: 050
Pairing: Hermione Granger / Severus Snape
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Hermione looks around before taking a seat. Her friends aren't there, although that's probably a relief. She might even feel that relief had she not just taken the Draught of Peace. That's some powerful stuff. She gravitates to the end of the table where the seventh years tend to sit, closer to the Head Table, subconsciously choosing the side from which she can observe the Professor's spot. Seamus and Dean are on the opposite side, deep in a discussion, if one can call it that, about one of the latest Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Ah. Ron's Dirty Draught. Of course. No, wait, Draught of Dirt. He's right, that makes all the difference.
Seamus' 'BOOM' is clearly more captivating than Ron's, and soon a few of the fifth and sixth year boys are drawn into their conversation.
No Neville, no Ginny. It's hard to imagine Weasleys missing meals. That's one of the things they can pretty much be relied upon for. Something of a universal constant, their attendance at meals.
Not even Lavender is there. And Parvati appears to have snuck over to the Ravenclaw table; she's sitting next to her sister, their heads together, enthusiastically chatting about something and lost to the world.
Fay and Georgina seem to have resumed their debate from Friday about revolutionising Quidditch with the use of any or all of a variety of magical animals. Knowing the two of them, it's entirely possible they haven't stopped in between. That's one thing Hermione hadn't missed in the Infirmary and won't miss thanks to her bonding, listening to the two of them.
Nevertheless, with few appealing options available, she slides into the seat next to Georgina, just a little down from most of the sixth years, thinking Ginny is sure to come soon.
Had she an inkling of the mood Ginny is in, she'd have probably packed it in now.
She's barely had time to take her seat when Professor Snape comes striding down the Hall. She'd noticed it in the hallway on their way here, the way people get out of his way. How everyone is very aware of him, and yet no one stares. He commands a great deal of attention. Respect. It makes a difference somehow watching that, and the response, knowing you're... allied to that person. She begins to gently bite her lip as she watches him progress.
Whatever else it may be, the gesture is far from nervous.
She likes to think of it as contemplative. While she's definitely contemplating, the pivotal question is 'what', and even she's aware it's disingenuous to phrase it like that. The Draught keeps that realisation from being even remotely embarrassing. How convenient.
He's very subtle, nonchalant, but somehow they manage to make eye contact. Probably because Hermione isn't subtle in the least, has been staring at him steadily, and all he needed to do was look her way in the slightest. He lifts one eyebrow marginally in question, and she tries to give him only a faint nod and the hint of a smile in response.
Things are alright here. There's no trouble. Yet.
Hermione still doesn't realise that was completely unnecessary because the bond had already made that abundantly clear. The interaction was solely to further soothe her nerves. Had she known, she'd have taken it for... kind. Maybe even sweet. He takes it for a sensible precaution. The truth would lie somewhere in between.
Finally unable to listen to her roommates' Quidditch talk silently any longer, Hermione turns to them and tells Georgina that her idea to use winged horses for Quidditch is hardly original. That information is predictably well received. The girls blink, startled both at the interruption and the fact Hermione would know anything at all about the topic. Her disdain for Quidditch borders on legend. Naturally they are all the more shocked when she begins citing chapter and verse from 'Quidditch Through the Ages'.
Hermione has precious little patience for their ignorance. It's possible her anticipation of the reaction to the Headmaster's announcement is making her more peevish than usual. Without the potion in her system, it would certainly be worse. Far worse. And she'd never have sat still listening to such utter tosh as long as she had. She probably would have interrupted whole minutes before... Although, it couldn't have happened any earlier than that as she hasn't been there all that long.
It's unfathomable. If even she knows the relevant material from 'Quidditch Through the Ages', she has no sympathy whatsoever for them not also doing so. Holy Cricket. But then there's a difference between reading and retaining and right now she questions their retention. Severely.
"The problem, naturally," she drones authoritatively, and isn't that a kick, "is that Lord Withers used Aethonans; it's quite well documented." Fay just stares at her in disbelief. "What he should have done, of course, was use Granians instead." And now Georgina joins her friend in goggling. Hermione isn't even in Care of Magical Creatures. This is ridiculous.
"They're much faster," Hermione proceeds, oblivious to or uncaring of the reception. "But it's unclear if the speed alone would have made any difference, as his adaptation of the game never gained in popularity. And by extension, that would presumably be true for any of your proposed constellations as well. You know how wizards like their brooms," she explains.
That last part fell in a natural lull in the conversations, it was unavoidable, and seems to echo down the table.
As Lavender climbs into the seat across from him, Dhanesh turns with a malicious grin to the fifth year who had teased Ginny about her love life, "That's what Kev tried telling Ginny." There's a good deal of laughter at his expense, as the boy reflexively shields his nose and winces at the memory. "And look what it got him."
Colin just so happens to have a picture from the occasion of the Bat Bogey hex in full force that he apparently both carries with him and is perfectly happy to pass around, should anyone have forgotten or missed it. That garners more laughs from the other Gryffindors.
"Bicycles," Kevin mutters, "not brooms," but it's lost in their teasing. "Numpties," he grumbles as Lavender starts telling some of the fifth and sixth years about the prophecy from Divination today.
Georgina, meanwhile, is at a bit of a loss. She has no idea at all how to respond to Hermione. "Uh..." This is one of her and Fay's favourite theoretical debates, and easily half the point of it was that it isn't meant to have a resolution. They've spent weeks throwing their ideas and arguments around, disputing, claiming, refuting, and Hermione just swoops in and says she has the answer.
There are days she'd kind of like to hex her.
And have Colin take a picture of it while she's at it. Those last longer.
That her probability of success in that regard should be relatively low given Hermione had advanced to both N.E.W.T.s DADA and Charms, while she hadn't managed an O.W.L. in either, doesn't occur to her. Georgina is a little simple in that respect. But had she listened to her Housemates' complaints about their DADA sessions this year, she might have felt a bit heartened.
Fay has no such problems, she simply pretends to ignore Hermione. "Hey, Georgina, have you heard the Twisted Sisters' latest? 'Ride the Granian'?"
Georgina looks confused by the change in topic and wonders ever so briefly if the mention of Granians had called something to Fay's mind. It's especially puzzling because she's fairly certain the Sisters aren't actually releasing anything at all these days. In fact, there'd been quite the series of articles in the 'Prophet' about it all term.
Lead singer Myron Wagtail had gone on hiatus last year and started moderating a show on Radio 6 'Wagtail's Wizarding Wireless Sunday Service'. But W3S2 wouldn't necessarily keep him from recording. No, that would be the fact Wagtail had jumped on stage in protest during Warbeck's performance at the Ministry's Awesome Music Awards ceremony. 'Witch Weekly' had nominated him for an Order of Merlin for the MAMA stunt, not that it had any effect.
Arabicus Cocker, Celestina's fourth husband and current manager, or perhaps it was the other way around, a wizard heretofore known only for his Charm to make eyeglasses stay magically on one's face, had demanded Myron's arrest, and the singer was currently being held at the Ministry's leisure. Where precisely was anyone's guess and the subject of much speculation.
So, no, there were no new releases.
Which is only confirmed when Fay continues, the sarcasm in her tone becoming increasingly obvious, "They recorded it very quickly, much faster than usual, but I doubt it will become popular, you know how wizards like their tunes," at which point even Hermione recognises she's taking the Mickey. Fay can be mean that way.
That trait bothers Georgina, well, sometimes, because even though Hermione can be an officious windbag, at least she's not really doing it deliberately unlike Fay. Hermione just seems to come by it naturally. Georgina is sure, well, reasonably, that makes it easier to forgive, even if not more pleasant.
Hermione takes the hint, somewhat belatedly, and as her roommates resume their conversation turns away in time to see Neville come rushing in. He slips into the free seat next to Dean, begins putting food on the plate that appears before him and telling the others about how he's just managed to convince Professor Sprout to allow him to work extra hours in the greenhouse. No one's really listening, naturally. The boys aren't particularly interested in that kind of thing, especially not when Seamus is telling stories that go 'BOOM'.
Hermione would have been interested, but he's seated too far away for them to be able to talk easily. She's just able to follow that he was trying to work out the details for an internship - which she thinks is an absolutely brilliant idea - with the Herbology Professor, but she had insisted it was terribly important they not skip the meal.
Hermione has a sinking feeling as to why, and it has nothing to do with Professor Sprout's obvious fondness for food.
Sure enough, it's not long before the Headmaster stands to make his announcement.
Severus looks out over the students gathered in the Hall. No one is paying him any attention, and he couldn't be more grateful. Pity that won't last.
Miss Granger is still very faintly nervous, he can feel it, but so much less so than before. The Draught was a stroke of genius. His nerves are also quite grateful. Pity that too won't last.
They'll get through this. He is sure.
Reasonably sure.
Well, if he isn't killed for it, that is.
He's not particularly sure at all, now that he thinks about it.
But it strikes him as odd that he's begun seeing it as a mutual challenge they will best. A great many things strike him as odd lately, and he thinks it generally boils down to a certain witch he can now see animatedly schooling Misses Dunbar and Smith on some topic to their great... pleasure. That draws a huff of amusement from him. Someone really should tell Miss Granger the vast majority of people don't consider life a classroom, and even if they did, wouldn't want her as a teacher in it.
Allowing his eyes to drift back to the Slytherin table, he sees Draco has rejoined the snakes. Miss Granger doesn't seem to have noticed yet. He'll need to keep an eye on them. On consideration, he is now doubly thankful, both for having given her the Draught, and that Potter and Weasley have kept away. He's not certain her initial reactions to Draco won't prove too revealing, given what the boys have been told transpired.
And then it strikes him that Draco isn't sporting a black eye. He had made good work of that Levicorpus, his condition Friday notwithstanding, and it is a tremendous disappointment not to see the results of it. It occurs to him that he hadn't asked Sunny to remove the Bruisewort Balm from the Slytherin dorms, and that will be the reason for it. Damn. Sunny really is excellent at following orders, the problem lies in formulating them robustly enough.
Well, Severus hadn't been in good shape when he issued those instructions either.
And the lack of a bruise will in no way have lessened the pain from its infliction. He finds it some consolation.
He can just hear the sound of complaints wafting towards him from the Slytherins' table, and applies a Sensitivity Amplification Charm on his left ear to better monitor the situation covertly. That using it leaves him turned facing slightly more towards the Gryffindor table may be unintentional. But not as much so as he thinks.
Ah. They seem inordinately upset over Peeves. He smirks. Not that Peeves has done anything specifically wrong, or at least not out of the usual, but it seems the Baron has been using the threat of him to manage the snakes and their impression is Peeves' behaviour has changed markedly today. One young lady, the daughter of a solicitor he notices, is suggesting it might be time to renegotiate the Poltergeist's contract. As if it were that simple.
Nothing shy of an exorcism is likely to get him out of the castle, and such measures would undoubtedly cause quite a stir amongst the ghosts as well. It's a dangerous move, and the Headmistress had known what she was doing when she gave the bothersome spirit his contract nearly a century and a quarter ago. They had gotten off lightly. It helps greatly, of course, that Peeves has no awareness of this.
His thoughts are interrupted as Pomona takes her seat and Albus stands. It's time. Severus ends the Amplification Charm; there's no chance that will be safe to use for the rest of the meal. Possibly not for days to come.
And even if it were safe, it will undoubtedly be undesirable.
As most students don't seem to have noticed their Headmaster standing, Filius helpfully squeaks up with a soft "Attention please!" That seems to do the trick.
Or maybe it's Albus' much louder, "Thank you, Filius," that draws everyone's attention. The room falls quiet. That probably won't last long.
Severus looks over to the Gryffindor table to find Miss Granger's eyes on him again. Now that everyone's attention is directed elsewhere, she has no qualms about smiling at him more noticeably before turning away, and he begins Occluding for what he's worth.
This should be ugly. And loud.
Albus wittered on, which is probably neither a fair nor accurate representation of what occurred, but it's how Severus remembers it. A speech was held, momentous occasion, happy tidings, so on and so forth. Nothing crucial was relayed, no context was given. The attack Friday wasn't mentioned at all, at least not to the student body as a whole; clearly staff and the bonded couples all know one had occurred, even if not all parties are aware Miss Granger was the victim, and most have no idea as to the true nature of it.
And then Albus began to introduce the... happy couples. For fuck's sake. He actually used that expression. Severus adds it to the running list of things to Avada him for.
"May I present, Madam and Mister Smith." A moment later, Salome previously Perks and Zacharias Smith stand. They're greeted initially by a surprised silence. The vast majority of the students never even having encountered a bonded couple, it's all something of a shock. It will soon prove much more so, Severus is certain.
Albus is typically unfazed and undeterred.
"Madam and Mister Devi." Another few moments, and Kiera no-longer-known-as Kilkenny and Dhanesh Devi stand. By now the students have adjusted to the news marginally, and the Gryffindors are a more rambunctious lot than the Hufflepuffs by far, and soon cheering and good natured laughter ensues. The Puffs seem to catch up and shortly both tables are congratulating the couples still standing in their midst.
The Ravenclaws begin to look amongst themselves, assuming their table is next. Won't they be surprised?
And Albus continues.
"Madam and Master Snape."
A hush falls over the room as everyone looks eagerly up and down the Head Table to see who will stand. Seamus can't refrain from joking, "Who would be barmy enough?"
A fifth year corrects, "Batty enough," as the sixth year next to Lav suggests, "Trelawney?" and nods towards the Seer who has made a most unusual appearance in the Great Hall.
Neville, his eyes incredibly wide just at the thought of someone bonded to Snape, murmurs, "Brave enough, more like."
Another fifth year's, "Can't be Trelawney then," is just audible as Dean laughs, "So it'd have to be a Gryffindor," pleased at his wit.
A sixth year next to Dhanesh hisses, "Not McGonagall!" as Seamus answers, "Except none of us are dumb enough."
And then Hermione and Severus stand and the room goes deathly quiet.
Professor Dumbledore chirps on, Hermione thinks as she stands there, her head held high, her eyes focussed on the stone of the far wall, surprisingly calm all considered, but she doesn't hear a word the wizard says. Neither does anyone else, as shortly thereafter that becomes completely impossible as the volume in the room reaches a roar. And it doesn't stop.
Severus stands, no outward sign manifest that this is of any significance whatsoever, staring unflinchingly straight ahead. He takes the chaos, the cacophony for a few seconds before realising Albus doesn't intend to fix this.
He wonders why he's surprised.