Dance With A Serpent

Winter's Tale

Hermione wasn't crying anymore. But the floodgates surly would open again later. Later when she was lying in her bed, in the darkness, alone.

She looked at her watch, it was supper time. With a sigh of despair she walked out of the door he had minutes ago excited so dramatically.

It was quite hopeless. He wouldn't budge. He would never surrender to her.

Or maybe... a wave of doubt past through her and pushed at her tear canals. Maybe he actually didn't love her.

Maybe she was just a stupid little girl idolising an elder man due to some unfulfilled father issues.

She fought with her eyes and won, no more tears for now.

The dark dungeon stretched itself out in front of her. The head girl felt its promise of a cold and long walk back up to the lighter passageways. Maybe it was only her down trodden mood but not even the torches did much to brighten he passages.

She walked along the stone corridors looking at nothing but the floor in front of her. She didn't feel like becoming a damsel today. She didn't even consider the possibility of it being someone else that rescued her. It was always him. Always. Her prince un-charming.

The echoes of her heavy footsteps were the only accompaniment her gloomy thoughts got as she neared the stairs leading up to ground level.

"YOU!" a piercing and very unpleasant voice called.

Hermione turned and groaned inwardly. Miss Winter strode out from an intercepting passage.

"What?!" The less pretty girl didn't even pretend with niceties.

"Grown some stamina since last we met Gardner?" Winter asked. It was evident the girl was already in a bad mood. Hermione's own displeasure wasn't about to ease the matter.

"Spit it out, I have little time for any more Slytherin-bullshit" Hermione snapped and crossed her arms.

She looked the blond up and down. She wasn't that pretty, too thin, shapeless even. The nose was too sharp. The skin was too pale, good thing she moved or she might have been thought dead. And the woman's face was stuck in a permanent outlook of annoyance and displeasure.

How could Snape chose this bone-heap over her?

The walking corps tusked and stepped closer to Hermione.

"Your mistake, I never attended Hogwarts..." the freak purred.

"What did you attend then Bitch? Durmstrang?" Hermione spat.

The insult took Winter by surprise but she bounced back in a tick

"Never you mind Poodle-hair." She growled "That was not why I had a bone to pick with you..." she voice was not as pleasantly low now that the blond was enraged "What have you done to him?!" she shrieked

Hermione stumbled backwards. She knew...

What a sod, he'd told Winter and now the girlfriend was on a rampage... or didn't she know and wanted Hermione to confirm it? Must play it safe, Durmstrang students knew dark arts.

"None of your beeswax coat-hanger." She said and strode up the staircase.

"So it was you! It's always you!" Winter tramped after her. Dang. How to shake of an aggravated mop?

"I don't know what you're talking about" Hermione said loftily glancing backwards and down her nose at the older girl. She hoped she was honest, Snape didn't blabber around about that kind of thing did he?

They left the stairs and were walking through the empty entrance hall.

The blonds blue eyes flashed and she grabbed Hermione's shoulder.