Chapters 51-60

With A Little Help From Your Friends…

(Sunday evening at Hogwarts, office of the Headmistress)

‘In other words, they’re behaving like idiots,’ Harry stated bluntly.

‘That is a concise and accurate description,’ Minerva commended him. ‘Young man, I must say the Auror training seems to agree with you.’

Harry snorted.

‘Hermione says she loves him. I believe she knows her mind. And you think that he is feeling bad about asking her to kill him and about kissing her because he loves her, too,’ Harry continued. ‘Are you sure about that? I mean, he ought to feel bad about even thinking of ordering her to do that. But why feel bad about kissing her? Not that I ever wanted to kiss Hermione, but even I can see that she is kind of pretty, in a hairy sort of way.’

Minerva choked on her whisky. ‘Yes, Harry,’ she wheezed. ‘I am quite sure about that. And you should be very grateful that Ginevra Weasley is such a tolerant, practical girl. Very grateful.’

To her surprise, Harry laughed.

‘I am,’ he said simply. ‘Every day of my life. Those two—’ he rolled his eyes, ‘—that’s too complicated for me. There’s more than one reason why I didn’t end up a Slytherin.
‘Now, what are we going to do about those two idiots down in the dungeons?’

oooOooo

‘…therefore I think it’s best if you accompany her,’ McGonagall concluded.

‘You want me to do what?’ His voice, all but healed, cracked under the pressure of disbelief.

Patiently, as if she were talking to a three-year-old, Minerva repeated, ‘Hermione, Harry and their friends are planning to attend a concert in London on Friday night. Muggle music. You might even know the artist. ‘Sting’ or something like that.’ The headmistress sniffed contemplatively. ‘Muggles have really no better taste than wizards in their stage names. ‘Weird Sisters’, ‘Stings’…birds of a feather.
‘Given the current situation, I believe that Hermione should not go on her own.’

‘But she won’t be on her own! Neville, Weasley, Potter—he’s a damn Auror-in-training, Minerva! They’re adults now, the lot of them. Surely they are capable of going to a rock concert without a babysitter!’

The headmistress fixed him with a piercing look. ‘Neville isn’t going. He’s busy in the greenhouses. And while Harry may be an Auror-in-training, the others are not. Watch-wizards would attract too much attention. Can you imagine any of the other Order members at…what did you call it? A stoned concert?’

‘Not ‘stoned’,’ he muttered, ‘though I might as well get some…‘rock’, Minerva. That particular style of music is called ‘rock’.’ He frowned. ‘Though I do believe his latest album is rather on the softer side.’

‘Album?’ Minerva shook her head bemusedly. ‘Well, it seems you are well-acquainted with that aspect of Muggle culture, Severus. I’m sure it won’t be too arduous. Who knows, you might even enjoy it.’

oooOooo

The Muggle clothing was a shock. The tight jeans and tighter t-shirt left almost nothing to his imagination.

She was beautiful.

And too thin. Fragile. Suddenly he recalled an almost banished glimpse of white skin, soft curves. The taste of her lips.

… the painfilled darkness in her eyes hit him like a slap in the face.

‘You’re going to a concert, not to a funeral, Miss Granger,’ he sneered. ‘Or would you rather stay here tonight, after all?’

oooOooo

Of course he’d wear black. She hadn’t expected anything else.

But the way the tight leather trousers hugged his legs and his long black dress-shirt swirled around him made her stomach tingle and tighten…

‘I’m sorry, sir. Ready when you are.’

oooOooo

It was hard to let her go.

What the hell was wrong with him?

oooOooo

She wanted to cling to him.

Instead Hermione turned and glanced around for the others. A crack sounded and out of thin air, a blonde young woman appeared, wrapped around a dark-haired wizard.

‘Hey, Hermione!’ Disentangling herself from the embrace, a poncho-clad Luna Lovegood meandered over to give her a quick hug. Luna’s necklace of bottle caps had been exchanged for one with exotic shells. Apart from that the witch appeared unchanged. The wizard at her side sported a poncho, too, green and black chevrons as opposed to Luna’s blue and silver swirls. ‘This is Rolf. We work together in Peru. Hello, professor!’

Snape scowled, but nodded. ‘Lovegood. Scamander.’

‘Professor Snape! That—that—’

‘Oh, Rolf—did I forget to tell you? Hermione’s his apprentice.’

‘Of course you forgot, Luna.—It’s good to see you again, sir.’

‘Here they are!’ Harry’s voice filtered through the bushes that surrounded the secluded public Apparition spot in Hyde Park. Ginny at his side, he shoved through the scrubs. He met Hermione’s eyes with a concerned look. Her tremulous attempt at a smile prompted Harry to look at Snape. His expression hardened, but he merely gave the Potions Master a curt nod, before greeting the others.

‘Hello Luna. Rolf, great you could get away.—George, Lee and Draco are going to meet us there. Ron and Lois should be here any minute.’

‘Draco?’

Harry turned back to Snape, his green eyes glittering. ‘Yes, Draco. Draco Malfoy. I’m sure you remember him?’

‘Harry,’ Ginny put her hand on his arm. ‘Stop it. And look, I think that’s Ron and Lois getting lost in the bushes.—Hey, Ron! We’re over here.’

Moments later, Ron broke through the underwood. ‘Blimey, do they want people to get lost in this damn jungle?’ He grinned happily at his friends. ‘Oi, ‘mione! Hey, Looney. Rolf, old man.’ His smile faltered. ‘Uh…Hello, sir.’

Lois, on the other hand, simply went straight to Professor Snape and offered her hand. ‘Thank you for accompanying Hermione, Severus. I must say, you look great in Muggle clothes. Doesn’t he, Hermione? Almost like a musician himself, all dark and dangerous.’

Lois winked at Hermione.

But Hermione was staring at Severus, frozen, unable to speak.

After a moment of awkward silence, Lois reached for Hermione’s arm. ‘Well, guys, let’s get going before the concert is over!’