Lessons In Love

Chapter 29: Dream Within a Nightmare

"I have reason to believe that your actions and feelings towards Miss Granger are less than innocent," she sounded skeptical, not wanting to believe it could be true, "Do you deny this?"

"No I do not." He almost whispered as he stared at the older woman.

"Severus, how can this be?" she winced, very upset, "Do you understand the consequences that could come of this? I do not need to remind you of the rules but I must ask," she readjusted her glasses, "Why?"

Snape took a deep breath, "I do not have an answer."

"Where were you after the party ended?" she looked up at him, chiding him.

"I was with Miss Granger,"

He heard a sound of disapproval from the Headmistress before he explained, "We needed to resolve a few problems," She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to try to explain himself out of the inappropriate situation, "She was sacrificing herself for my own benefit."

McGonagall furrowed her brows, "Sacrificing?"

Snape groaned, "Minerva, you know what the Daily Prophet said about us and the court appearance that I was going to have to make. Miss Granger recognized what effects that would have on me so she reported to Rita Skeeter of her engagement to Ron Weasley to put out the fire."

"Her engagement was a pretense?" She looked shocked.

He nodded, "She knew that if she put herself out in the public that the Ministry would instantly recognize the false tale in the paper and excuse me of trial."

She covered her mouth with her hand, "Severus…" McGonagall started, eyeing him warily and spoke cautiously with her next question, "Was it a false tale?"

He shook his head, not meeting her gaze, "None of the events listed ever occurred, but the feelings written about are quite accurate."

McGonagall sat back in her chair, not knowing what else to say. After a pause, she glanced back up at him, "Miss Granger loves you?"

"Indeed, she does." He whispered, hardly able to believe it himself.

"This is very grave news indeed." She stood up and walked over to him, putting a hand on his arm in comfort, "You know it cannot be taken any further." He frowned but silently nodded as she sighed in frustration and compassion.

Snape watched as the witch started to pace with much anxiety, "Severus…"

"I attempted to relieve myself of her near the beginning, tried to distance myself, and it had no effect. The moment I came back to her, we were both where we left off." He murmured, staring at the ground.

"We?" she stopped in her tracks and turned back to him, she was astonished, not thinking she heard him clearly and asked again, "We?"

Taking another deep breath and running his hands through his tangled hair, he moaned, "Yes, we."

The headmistress made a small cry before pacing even more maniacally than before. Her robes were swooshing around her, creating a breeze throughout the room as her old hand trembled before her lips in fright, "Surely you can't be serious?" She looked up at him; wanting to receive confirmation that it was not true… she had to have heard incorrectly…

He turned from her and stared up at all the sleeping portraits of past Headmasters, "I must regret that I am perfectly serious."

"You… love her?" she gasped.

"I do." He uttered, barely audible.

"Do you realize what this could do to our school? The repercussions would be too great to even discuss, Hogwarts could lose its standing!" she lectured him, "as Headmistress, I cannot let this establishment see such results because of a teacher out of control of his emotions!"