The Life Debt
Chapter 6
They left her alone that night. Hermione figured it would take them at least a day to find the courage to face her, and they'd probably send an advance scout. Ginny, most likely.
To her great surprise, the four interlopers sat down at her table at lunch the next afternoon. She'd spent the morning in hot pursuit of Murgatroyd, finally cornering him in his office right before lunchtime. She'd delivered a blistering lecture, the kindest words of which were "sexual harassment", then announced her intention to take a long lunch while she considered whether to continue in the programme, promising that if she left, she would make certain that the Minister of Magic himself, a close personal friend, would know the reason why.
Feeling immensely better, she'd settled at a vacant table in the lunchroom to eat a steaming plate of shepherd's pie, only to lose her appetite when her friends (and Galinda) joined her without a by-your-leave.
"I'm trying to eat, here," she informed them coldly, shovelling the suddenly-tasteless meal into her mouth in an unconscious imitation of Ron as a schoolboy.
"That's disgusting, Hermione," her former fiancé told her. He was rewarded with what he had once called the "Granger Glare of Death".
"Hermione, you need to listen to us. It's important." Harry leaned forward, looking earnest.
"Is someone dying?" she asked, wiping her mouth with a serviette before taking a hearty swig from her water bottle.
"No," Ginny answered before Harry could come up with a story. "But it's still important."
"Let me guess. You all plotted against me because I haven't been to enough stupid parties."
"No, but you made it easy to plot against you by not attending the stupid parties," Ron accused. Galinda made a shushing noise and put her hand over his.
"And what's this? The Good Witch of the South is supposed to be holding Severus's hand, not yours."
"That's one of the things you missed out on by skipping out of all the parties, Hermione." Harry knew that the only way to get through to Hermione when she was in one of these moods was to plough ahead regardless of her response. And to dodge any stray canaries that might come his way. "Ron and Galinda are together."
"What about Severus?" Hermione asked with what she thought was exquisite politeness.
The four of them winced. She sat back, arms folded against her chest.
Confession time, she smirked inwardly.
"The truth?" Harry asked, looking nervous.
"The entire truth," she confirmed. "I have all day."
The others exchanged glances.
"No," she said, pointing at Harry. "You first."
"All right," he said, slouching deep into his chair. "But you have to promise not to hex me."
"I'll do nothing of the sort. Believe me when I tell you, though, that you'll get off easier if you tell me everything. If I find you've hidden something, or twisted it...." Her hand made an odd twisting motion. The boys flinched.
"It started when you saved Snape. Remember, you made him promise to talk to me about what he wanted in life? And you made him choose a mate."
"Right. He told us he wanted to start Master Potions and you and he started planning that. I remember. But he didn't choose a mate. He said he wasn't ready, and wouldn't be until the business was established." She shot an accusing glare at Galinda, who looked steadily back, her hand in Ron's.
"Well," Harry continued, "after you left, he confessed to me that he had a good idea who the only witch was that he'd ever love, apart from my mum."
"You're joking." She sat up straight, indignant. "I kept finding people for him to date, and he already knew who he wanted? That rat!"
"He told me she was already taken. That she loved someone else, and she'd never look at him. But you had made him promise to try, and he would indeed try to get over her."
"Oh," she sat back again. "I suppose he did try, at that."
"And then, one day, he learned that she was available. She'd broken up with the man Severus had believed she loved. He hoped for a chance with her, but she didn't notice him. She just thought of him as a friend."
"Now, wait a minute," Hermione said as the first inkling of what Harry was saying began to sink in.
"It wasn't until he made himself unavailable that she showed any interest at all, and after that, she refused to speak with him." How had she forgotten how stubborn Harry could be? He was going to tell this story at his own pace and, in so doing, make her look as bad as he possibly could.
She began to suspect that she deserved it.
"He tried to see her, but she'd switch her schedule to avoid him." Harry's gaze was accusing. "He owled her, but she ignored them. He came to party after party, despite the fact that he's allergic to crowds, all in the hope of seeing her, but she avoided him completely."
"That's enough," she groaned, her face in her hands. "I get the picture."
"Finally, he turned to her closest friends, whom she was also avoiding, and appealed to them for assistance. With their aid, he set up a situation in which she'd have to speak with him. They helped because they love her, despite her stubbornness, and because they like him and want him to be happy."
Her head whipped up.
"You do? You like him?" She looked at each of them. She believed Harry and Ginny. She was doubtful about Ron; he looked slightly nauseous. Galinda, though, was smiling warmly.
"Well, what about you?" Hermione asked accusingly.
"What about me?"the lovely woman responded, looking amused.
"How do you come to be holding hands with Ronald if you're so fond of Severus?"
"I was married to his cousin, Albert Snape. I've always liked Severus. He was very kind to me after Albert died," Galinda said gently.
"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you. It's been a long time. And then, thanks to you and Severus, I met Ron at Christmas, and decided it was time to move on with my life." She gazed fondly at her red-haired companion.
Making a note to speak to Ron about the age difference, then mentally erasing it as she realised Galinda was younger than Severus, she turned back to Harry.
"So, what now?" she inquired belligerently.
"Well, you have to talk to Severus," he said.
"And why do I have to do that? It seems to me that this problem could have been completely avoided if he'd just come up to me at any point in the last few years and said, ‘Oi, Hermione, I fancy you.' After all, it worked so well for Ron," she finished sweetly.
"No, you have to talk to him. And, more importantly, you have to listen to him. He loves you, Hermione."
She looked mutinous, so Harry continued, "You've had your fun with us, it's time for you to get serious. And, Hermione, be kind to him."
With those words, he pushed his seat back and rose. The others followed suit. "We'll be over there," he said, pointing towards a table in the far corner. "Don't mess up."
As the four trouped away, a lone man approached. He gestured at the chair closest to her. "May I?" he asked in his scratchy voice.
At the sound, the ice that had encased Hermione's heart since her rage had ebbed suddenly melted. He had suffered so much.... She nodded, moving so that her chair faced his.
"I went about this the wrong way, I know. I should have told you from the beginning that I cared about you, but... well, I thought it was hopeless."
"At the time," she answered, "I'd have agreed with you."
"When you broke up with Weasley, I thought... I hoped... well, you decided not to date anyone until you finished with your programme. So I decided to wait.
"But then, last fall, someone joked about Ruddigore Murgatroyd getting divorced and being in the right position to snap you up when nobody was looking. I had never met Ruddigore Murgatroyd and his moustaches, so I had no idea how ludicrous a possibility that was."
Hermione giggled. "You have no idea how frightened that man is of me right now."
Snape grimaced. "Maybe I do." He raised his gaze to hers, and she saw the places where the canaries had marked him. She reached for his face, stroking each cut and bruise tenderly.
"I'll heal them for you," she promised. "I'm sorry for hurting you."
"I deserved it. I shouldn't have brought Galinda into it, but I was desperate. For a moment, it appeared that I'd succeeded in awakening your interest, but then... you shunned me. I don't mind when the others do, but when you do it, it's a knife to the heart." She had to strain to hear, his voice was so low.
"So, we set up last night. And I overplayed my hand - I didn't just speak with you, I frightened you. Hermione, I am so very sorry...." He broke off as she leaned closer, touching her lips gently to his.
"You weren't wrong to bring Galinda into it. You're right that it woke me up. I realised that night that I was in love with you. But - I thought you loved her. And I knew I could never compete with her. And we still have that stupid Life Debt thing. I was worried that, if you knew I wanted you, you'd sacrifice your own happiness to repay the debt."
He pulled away, chuckling quietly.
"Hermione, the Life Debt has nothing to do with this. It would compel me to save your life, but nothing else. I was sending you up that night, trying to get you to go back to bed."
"Oh," she said blankly.
"I can't believe you never looked it up." He was frankly incredulous that the girl who had researched the growth rate of bowtruckle toenails had not immediately become a Life Debt expert.
"Well, I will now, you can be sure of that!"
"Can you forgive me?" he asked, sobering quickly. "Could you come to care for me again?"
"I forgive you, if you'll forgive me for my blindness," she returned. "And... I still do care for you, Severus."
He closed his eyes for a moment, sagging with relief.
"I love you, Hermione. Will you marry me?"
Hectic colour flooder her cheeks, but she didn't answer. Instead, she leaped to her feet, making beckoning gestures to the crowded table at the other side of the lunchroom.
Then, as her beaming friends approached, she pointed at the ground before her, commanding, "Again."
Obediently falling to one knee before her, he looked at their gathered friends, meeting and holding Harry's eyes for a long second. Harry's eyes... Lily's eyes.
He gave the startled young man a tender, nostalgic smile, then turned to look into eyes that were a joyous brown and reached for Hermione's hand.
The Life Debt was repaid.