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First Day of School Continued
Boss Prof emailed me this morning. He would like me to house-sit again in a few weeks while he goes out of state again. Sure! says I. Hurray for biting parrots and three hour watering trips!
I did all my running around on campus today, renewed my student ID, checked my financial aid, library, books and such. All was well, mostly. There were only six students in the senior thesis seminar. Some may remember the school's policy of cancelling classes with less than seven students. So they changed all six of us to "Directed Study" and cancelled the class. This doesn't change anything except the title of the class. So odd. Then, I got an email tonight telling me I had to pay tuition. Um? Excuse me? I replied, telling them it had all been fine earlier when I checked in with accounting services and to please let me know if there was a problem I had to fix or if the email was a mistake.

I've had an email hoping that we will continue our Phi Alpha Theta electronic newsletter. I think that will be fine, hopefully I can get more people to write for me. :) History buddy emailed Boss Prof about joining our club already! Sheesh.

OH! But best of all!! We have stuffed griffins!! OMG! I'm so buying a flock of them on payday! *twirls* ... hmm... a pride of them? a convocation of them? Why do I know a group of eagles is called a convocation? What would you call a group of hippogriffs? A herd? What about a group of gargoyles? Or dragons? Hmm....

I've posted my hp_summergen fics at Immeritus. I will add them to my fic archive also, me thinks. They're both G to PG and were beta'd by the same loverly people.

The first was a stretch for me. I could have turned it down but I thought, eh, why not give it a shot. It was Snape, Hermione, set during HBP with "time traveling" in the form of flashbacks to Lily. I think the friendship I hinted at in the fic fits nicely with new canon from DH. :) Twas written for chaotic_vanity



Title: A Light in the Darkness
Rating: PG
Characters: Snape, Hermione, some Lily and James
Warnings: A bit angsty, beware the Marauder Era Flashbacks!!
Summary: Snape and Hermione, research buddies!
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters in this work of fan-fiction belong to JK Rowling and can be found in the Harry Potter books. No money is being made off of this and no harm is intended, just fan girl flattery and love.


A Light in the Darkness

It was one of those nights when she just couldn't sleep. She had padded quietly past her roommates and out of the tower, heading for the library. True, she wasn't supposed to be out of bed and wandering the school at night, but she was only going to study. Surely if she was caught, they would simply pat her on the head and send her back to bed with her book.

Her bare feet whispered along the shadowed corridor. At the library doorway, she stopped. Expecting darkness, a flickering orange glow of lamp light greeted her instead. Who could be here at this hour? Her mind ran through the short list of fellow students who might have had the same idea as her. Finding each one as unlikely as the last, she crept forward cautiously and peered around a bookshelf.

Professor Snape sat behind a rather large pile of musty old spell books. His head lay in his hands, his elbows resting on the desk before him. Lanky black hair cascaded down around his face, almost obscuring his hawkish features. He sniffed and groaned quietly, lifting his head and dropping his hands to the book before him. A deep furrow creased his brow, his bloodshot eyes held a momentary desperate gleam as they scanned over Hermione, unseeing. No, not me, she realized, her heart leaping to her throat, the bookshelf. Visibly setting his jaw, Snape returned his attention to the pile of books in front of him. He glared at their spines for a moment then suddenly snarled in rage and attacked them, throwing the piles to the floor. His sudden outburst tore an involuntary squeak from Hermione. Breathing hard, he glared towards her. "Who’s there?" he hissed. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. "I know you’re there, so you might as well come out."

He stalked deliberately around the desk and the ruined piles of books, now scattered across the floor. "Potter," he hissed, "I swear to Merlin, if that's you under that ridiculous invisibility cloak…" He pulled out his wand as he trailed off, stopping against the end of the bookshelf and glaring into the shadows behind it. For a brief second, he found himself speechless then an evil sneer curled his lips. "Miss Granger," he hissed, "what a surprise."

She stood up slowly, "Pro--Professor Snape--" his face grew incredulous as she spoke and she trailed off, resigned to having been caught by the one professor who might not send her to bed with little more than a sigh and a few obligatory words regarding rules. "Although I would derive great pleasure from dragging you up to Professor McGonagall in order to answer for this, I really don't have the time," Snape continued into her momentary silence. "Whatever hair-brained scheme you and Potter have cooked up will have to be forgotten for the remainder of this evening. I trust I don’t need to show you the way out."

"No, Professor," she said, turning away and starting for the door. She heard books being moved around as, presumably, Snape piled them up on top of the desk again. What could have gotten into him? she wondered. Just as she reached the door, another sudden crash from behind her made her jump and turn back around. I can't, she chided herself as she hesitated, He'll kill me! But she found herself returning to her hiding place behind the bookshelf, peering out of the darkness into the light that surrounded Snape.

The books remained strewn across the floor and he stood, leaning against the desk, glaring down at them. He scratched idly at his forearm then, with a sigh, he covered his face again. A slight tremor ran through him. Hermione's voice caught in her throat and she opened her mouth to speak. That tremor took away her fear, unexpectedly painting the vile professor in a different light. She swallowed once before continuing, "Professor." Snape dropped his hands as if stung. His shocked, wide-eyed expression erupted into malice.

"Granger!" Accusation dripped from his words, "What has gotten into you? I will take this up with McGonagall and you'll be serving detention with me for the next week!"

"I—I just thought that... if you need help finding something... I've read most of these books..." she stammered. For a moment memories tripped across Snape's mind, Hermione's words echoing words that had been spoken to him once before, long ago. Green eyes that had once been kind, mocking him now in Potter's guise, turned away from him in his mind, just as Hermione turned away now. "I'm sorry, Professor. I'll go," she whispered.



Her red hair flared in the sunlight. "I don't need your help," he sneered as she departed.

"Fine!" she retorted, stopping long enough to glare over her shoulder at him. "I tried to help you, but if you don't want my help..." she trailed off, spinning around and disappearing into the sea of students. Snape returned her glare, cursing her silently, though he knew it wouldn't affect her. He wasn't good enough for that yet. But one day, Evans. Just wait, he promised her silently.

***

Snape sulked down the hallway, spells turning over in his mind as he walked, not paying attention to where he was going, the other students parting for him. He pulled up short as a uniformed form stopped in front of him. An evil glare found its way across his face before he saw who it was. "You'll never do it without my help, Severus," Lily chimed. With a snarl, he tried to side-step her but she mirrored his movement, remaining in front of him. "You know, you only have to ask and I'll help you."

"For the last time! I do NOT need the help of a mudblood!" he hissed.



"Wait." He forced the word out, hating both the fact that he was asking for help and that he had to force himself to ask. Hermione stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. "You may as well start your detention now," he finished. "Pick up these books," he ordered, waving a hand in the general direction of the books scattered across the floor. Hermione bent to retrieve them without a word. Once her arms were full, she stacked them on the corner of the table as she straightened. "Have a seat," Snape instructed, voice cool, his iron control back in place, all for her benefit. "You will assist me in finding information on unbreakable vows," he continued.

"Unbreakable vows?" she parroted. "Are you casting one?" she asked.

"Does it matter?" he snapped.

"Well--"

"Just find the information, Granger. Let me worry about how to use it."



Her smugness was almost unbearable. If she had continued to annoy him, or if she had bragged about her accomplishment, that would have been something he could have related to, something he could have attacked or countered. But she simply made a point of looking smug whenever she walked past him! The one time he'd snapped at her had proven to be a big mistake. "Evans! If you look at me one more time," he'd began.

"Are you threatening my girl?" Potter chimed in as he melted from the crowd. "Why would anyone want to look at you anyway?" Snape simply glared at them equally and walked away.



"Yes, Professor," Hermione conceded with a sigh. She grabbed the first book off the pile and flipped through it. Snape stared at her for a moment before bending over his own book. They stayed that way, long into the night.


As the sky lightened, his eyes grew heavy and his head slumped forward. A muffled thump startled him awake. Hermione lay in the open book, asleep at last. What is it about mudbloods? he pondered. "Wake up!" he shouted, slamming a book down near her head.

She startled awake, "Sorry, what time is it?"

"Did you find anything else?" he asked, ignoring her question. She blinked sleepily at him and the books around her.

"I didn't," she said with a yawn, "just that one mention. Can I go, professor?" He ignored her, simply slumping back in his chair and staring at the ceiling. "I’ll come back after dinner," she offered. When he didn't react, she crept away.

***



He set up his cauldron for Potions class. As he laid out the ingredients, Lily floated past him, waving her arm nonchalantly, and flicking her hair from her shoulder. A small scroll landed in his powdered dragon scales. Her neat, handwriting flowed across the outside, "For when you give up." Shock at it's appearance turned to hatred as the words registered. Incendio, he thought, eyes narrowing. Smoke snaked up from the end of the scroll nearest him. A sneer twisted his face as the scroll burst into flames. Lily's gasp was audible over the scream of his tablemate. "You should have saved that, Snape," she cried, pouting lips and pleading eyes.

"I already told you, I don't need your help!" he returned.



Dinner in the Great Hall had just ended and Snape climbed slowly up to the library. Lily's words echoed through his head. He hadn't accepted her help that day, the last day she'd tried to help him with his project. And here I am again, he thought with a sigh as he reached the library. Hermione was already at the table they'd occupied the night before.

"Prompt," he noted as he flared his robe and took a seat across from her.

"Yes, Professor," she said.


The sounds of research surrounded them, burying them in soft, whispered words, the hiss of Hermione's fingers on the pages and the crisp scraping of turning paper. Snape glanced up at her from time to time. Bitter, vile regret mixed with hatred as the remembered scroll burned, turned to remembered ash, and drifted away on a remembered breeze. Lily had solved his problem, had worked on his project for no reason he could fathom, other than to do it before he could, proving... his mind hesitated, that she would always be better than me. he finished forcefully.

I had the answer in my hand, and I set it on fire. I let it burn. And I could never...

Hermione's fingers had stopped moving and she had bent over the book, reading closely. Then she looked up at him. He hurriedly returned his eyes to the book in his hands. He could feel her eyes on him, measuring him. Glaring, he forced himself to continue skimming the pages before him. She rose at last and cleared her throat. "I have another passage, Professor."

Emotions wrestled inside him. She can't have found another passage! he reached out for the book, snapping his fingers and she handed it over, open to the passage she'd found. He started skimming the page as she came around the table, leaned over him, her finger pointed to the description of how to cast an Unbreakable Vow.

He read the words twice before looking up at her. She met his eyes with quiet confidence. "And what do you make of it?" he asked.

"Well, Professor," she hesitated a moment, surprised into silence. He had just solicited her for an opinion! She closed her mouth and took the book from him, rereading the passage, looking for the trick. It had to be a trick! Snape would never ask my opinion!

"Well?" he prodded after she'd read it again.

"It's a very powerful spell, Professor. Anyone falling victim to it would have to choose death or compliance."

"An interesting choice of words, Granger. Does it not have to be entered into voluntarily? How could that possibly be seen as 'falling victim?'"

"Well," she started but his glare stopped her and she simply shrugged, casting her eyes downwards.

"And how, do you suppose, one would go about breaking such a bond?" he asked breathlessly. Hermione's eyes flicked back to him, wide, amazed by the tone of his voice. She caught something in his eyes, unguarded for a moment before the contemptuous glare returned; pain, fear, hope, all mingling together in the darkness of his eyes.

Her head spun for a moment and she turned away from him. "I don't know, Professor." She swallowed. "Is that what you were hoping to hear?" she whispered, "That I don't know something."

I had the answer in my hand, he thought, the scroll, aflame, dancing behind his eyes. And I lost it forever. I did need your help Lily. He heaved a shaky sigh. "No," he whispered in return. "That wasn't the answer I was hoping for."

Hermione faced him again, and the same pain she'd seen earlier and the fear she'd seen the night before, etched its way across his face. "I.... Surely, there is a way to break it! Every spell has a counter." She returned to her side of the table. "I'll help you find it, if you'd like," she said, sitting down and grabbing the next book in the pile. "Even if it takes the rest of the school year!" she added triumphantly.

Snape heaved another sigh and picked up his book again. I hope you really are as smart as Lily, he thought, slumping in the chair and continuing his search.

End



This second one was a pinch-hitting fic whose recipient dropped out. The prompt called for marriage intrigue.



Title: Lost in Amber Light
Rating: PG
Characters: Marauders, mention of Regulus, Snape, others.
Warnings: Nothing objectionable here.
Summary: A Day in the life of the Marauders, but why is Sirius so glum?
Notes: Dates and such inferred from the Black Family Tree, available at the Harry Potter Lexicon. This fic wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing work they do there.

The day began promising enough with breakfast in the Great Hall, stolen glances towards Lily Evans, and Remus relaxed and happy, weeks away from his next transformation. Best of all, it was Hogsmeade Weekend -- an entire day away from school! James munched contentedly on his sausages, legs swinging rhythmically, feet scuffing the floor. "Where should we go first, James?" Peter asked him, smiling across the table.

"Do you even have to ask, Peter," Remus chided, "You know he's hitting the jokes and sweets first, that's the only reason you're even going, right James?" Remus smiled softly, a gleam in his eyes.

James finished chewing thoughtfully. "It's true. I am that shallow," he replied, smiling. As he looked up, he spotted Sirius heading towards them across the Hall. When he reached the table, James greeted him, "Alright, Sleepy." Sirius smiled half-heartedly and grabbed some toast as he sat down next to James.

"I wasn't sleeping," Sirius informed them. "I was practicing." At his words, Remus quickly studied his plate. James nodded slightly, looking away from Remus, unsure how to handle the mixture of hope and sadness that their continued experimentation elicited in their werewolf friend. We're so close!

After a few moments, Peter changed the subject, breaking the silence. "What are you going to do today, Sirius?" he asked.

Sirius contemplated him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

James chuckled. "At Hogsmeade," Peter replied with a slight tremor in his voice as he looked for the joke.

"Oh!" Sirius' face lit up then he shrugged, "I don't know. What are we going to do?" he asked, turning to James.

James' smile broadened. “Jokes and Sweets!” he pronounced, loudly. Sirius answered with his own grin. He glanced at Remus who sat watching them across the table.

"Well, now that it's settled," Remus said as he rose, "shall we go?" They all looked at Sirius who shoved another bite of toast in his mouth as he stood, answering them with an incoherent mumble and nod.

***

The spring warmth and cool breeze mingled to make the walk to Hogsmeade pleasant enough for the students. James, Peter, and Remus hurried down the road towards Hogsmeade. At the last bend in the road, just before the station, they stopped and looked back. Sirius had hung back, and was slowly walking towards them, head down, hands stuffed in his pockets. “Sirius! Come on!” James and Peter shouted together. Sirius looked up at them, surprise crossing his face, though he didn’t pick up the pace.

When Sirius had covered half the distance between them, he smiled and called out, "Go on, then." Remus and Peter turned and continued towards the village while James continued waiting.
"What?" Sirius challenged upon reaching him.

"What? Nothing. Can't I wait for my best mate?" Sirius shrugged as James fell into step beside him.

The other two waited for them outside the first shop along the high street, also falling in beside Sirius as he moved along. James nudged Sirius. "Zonko's," he said. Nodding in reply to James' suggestion, they made their way across the street to the joke shop. Though they'd been there several times before, Zonko's never failed to entertain. They rummaged through the shelves and barrels that lined the walls, collecting dung bombs, stink pellets and an assortment of boredom-relieving devices. They piled their purchases on the counter and James quietly shoved them all together, passing a few coins to the proprietor. Peter punched him good-naturedly in the shoulder as Remus gathered up his items and headed for the door. James grabbed his items and his change, stared at the empty counter, and then at Sirius' empty hands. "You're not getting anything?" he asked?

Sirius sighed, "No, I'm good." He stood his ground while James scrutinized him. After a moment, James shook his head, turned away, and Sirius trailed him out into the street. They headed for the next shop.

Ahead of them, two skinny dark-haired youths exited the post office and started down the street away from them. James chuckled. "Look who it is, Sirius," he said nodding towards the pair. This new development met with a noncommittal response from Sirius. Gaping, James stopped, grabbed him, and turned him around. "It's Regulus and Snape!" he shouted. "Don't you care?" Remus and Peter hurried past them towards Honeydukes.

Sirius heaved a great sigh and watched his younger brother disappear into Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop with Snape. "No, not really," he said, looking down and refusing to meet James' eyes.
"That's it," James proclaimed. "What's up? You've been moody since yesterday's post came. What's happened?" he asked, the last question tinged with real concern for his friend. Sirius studied him with half-hidden eyes, shielded by the long hair that fell across his face as he looked up.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but we're going to need a drink." He looked to where Remus and Peter were waiting for them outside of Honeydukes. "Um, I'd rather not tell them," he said, quietly.

Surprised, James blurted out, "Why not?" Sirius only glared at him in return. "Fine," James conceded, without another word. "Hang on and I'll buy us some time." He hurried across the way to Remus, exchanged a few words, and then handed over his wallet. Remus and Peter took the money and entered the shop as James jogged back toward Sirius. "Okay, let's hurry. I told them we would go ahead and order their butterbeers and snag a table if they bought us some sweets for later tonight."

***

Sirius remained silent until they were both seated at a corner table inside the Three Broomsticks. James nervously glanced between the door and his friend, waiting. "Sirius," he said at last, "If you don’t tell me now, you might as well wait and tell us all."

With another deep sigh, Sirius blurted out, "I got a letter from my mum yesterday." James sipped his drink and waited. Though he didn't know all the details of Sirius' home life, he did know that Sirius was a Black… a Black that hadn't been placed in Slytherin. "She has a scheme up her sleeve and is demanding I play my part," Sirius finished, taking a long swallow from his tankard.

"And?" James asked.

Sirius blurted out his answer in a single breath, running the words together, "Alphard has named me his sole heir, Mum doesn't want the money to leave the family and she is demanding I marry one of my cousins." Sirius glared at the table.

James laughed, muffling it sharply when Sirius' glare turned on him. "Sirius," he began, facing down the hardened steel eyes, "you're not old enough to get married." He laughed again, tentatively.

"My grandfather married at thirteen," Sirius pointed out.

"But I still don't understand. You can't marry one of your cousins; they're all older than you." Sirius simply looked at him, one eyebrow cocked. James shrugged.

Sirius suddenly covered his face with his hands. "Bella's only eight years older than me. She would do it, to keep the money in the family." Sirius dropped his hands as he explained. "Andromeda and Cissy though, they’re both . . . well, Mum doesn't know about Andi, but Cissy is engaged to that prat Lucius. You remember him from first year? He was seventh year." James nodded in support, though he couldn't put a face to the name. "Alphard chose me because I'm in Gryffindor, like he was. Mum is worried I'll 'make a wrong choice and jeopardize my future,'" he mimicked her voice as he spoke, bringing a smile to James' face. It was a good imitation. "She thinks that if I don't marry into the family, I'll be tempted to leave it and take Alphard's money with me."

"So she wants you to marry Bella?"

"Or Andi," Sirius clarified.

"You won't do it," James assured him. "She can't make you."

"She's threatened to disown me, but it's an empty threat. If she does disown me, then the money really will be out of the family." Sirius picked up his glass and held it up to the light that burned from the ceiling, studying the drink within. Flame danced between the bubbles, glinting through the amber liquid. He turned it from side to side, noting how the froth rode along the top, and how the bubbles joined it.

James' smile faded and he sighed. "That's a tough one, mate," he said. Sirius nodded absently, drinking the rest of his butterbeer in one go.

"Hey," Remus called as they reached the table, "Sirius, you've started without us." Peter chortled and dumped an enormous pile of sweets on the table before James.

"Peter!" James scolded.

"He wanted to spend all the money, but I managed to save you a few sickles," Remus informed him.

"Thanks," James slid his chair over and made room for Peter to sit next to him. Remus snagged his butterbeer out of Sirius' hands before it could be claimed, and sat down as well.

"Hey, guess who we saw going into Dervish?" Remus started, "Regulus and Snape."

"My brother and the mighty Snivellus, huh?" Sirius smiled deviously, his problems washed away for the time being.

--end



I PROMISE not to use the word "Light" in my next fic.