The Brightest Black - A Dramione Fanfic

The Bat's Lair

Mitsy took the sheets of parchment and bowed low, "Yes, sir."

As soon as the elf popped out he turned his attention back to the four of them. His scowl deepened as he realized all four of them were still standing in the doorway.

"You may sit," he pointed at the table and chairs sitting over in a corner of the simple office. Hermione moved to take a seat and found herself stuck sitting next to Malfoy, since Parkinson was still unwilling to let go of Neville.

Of all of her friends, Neville was the only one that had never had any negative confrontations with Malfoy or Parkinson. He was a wealthy pureblood like them, and usually kept to himself. Hermione believed she would've been in the same category as Neville if she hadn't had Harry for a brother.

And even that might not have been a big deal if Malfoy hadn't met them on the train and demanded that Harry be his friend, not Ron's. Since Ron wasn't the 'right sort' of pureblood.

Honestly.

Snape seated himself at his desk and resumed the grading she assumed they had interrupted. Silence sat heavy on the room, none of them were willing to break it.

She set the jar on the table next to an ancient looking tea set and then adjusted her sleeves. She noticed Malfoy give her an odd look as she did so.

She ignored him and stared at the now utterly dejected beetle moping in the jar.

Now that a competent adult had been informed, Skeeter knew that her chances of escape where utterly nil.

She didn't know how long they all sat there, Snape didn't appear to like clocks, but it was long enough for the elegantly engraved teapot to stop steaming.

There was obviously a story behind the tea set. The carvings looked to be some sort of house crest, but she didn't recognize it. That might've been because the pot was so scarred and scrapped up. Or perhaps it was the last heirloom of a long deceased noble house. She knew Snape had grown up in the muggle world, but had known about magic his entire life. He'd told Harry's mother all about Hogwarts. She'd learned that during the few times Uncle Remus had told them stories of the past. Padfoot rarely spoke about Snape or Harry's mum.

A heavy knock sounded on the door, making her jump. She wasn't the only one. Malfoy had been thinking so hard that he almost fell off his chair. Only her own surprise stopped her from snickering at him.

"Come in," Snape said as he stood up and moved around his desk, his cloak billowing behind him.

The door opened to reveal Professor Dumbledore, and quite a few people behind him. She didn't think she'd ever seen the Headmaster annoyed before.

"Severus, you summoned the aurors? I take it that there is a good reason? Your note only said there was an emergency and to come quickly."

"Yes. One of my students was attacked."

Dumbledore's eyes flickered over to the group seated around the simple table.

"No, surprisingly, it was not Miss Black or her friends. It was an adult. A well-known adult entered the castle without your permission to discover secrets and then attacked Pansy Parkinson in order to keep her own secrets. She obliviated my student." He practically spat out the last sentence. And Hermione realized that the emotion she had seen before was anger. Snape was utterly furious. But that he'd hid it so well...

And she'd always thought that he was extremely easy to read. Did he normally not try and hide his emotions? Or was his apparent hatred of Harry and her just a facade? Was there more to the Hogwarts bat than she had thought?