Learning to Cope

Chapter 3

Definitely not a good idea, Harry thought again as they crept around in the Potions classroom.

"Here," Hermione whispered as she lifted a bottle of love potion, "that ought to do the trick."

"Whose is it?" Ron asked warily.

"Doesn't matter." Hermione grinned. "The incorrectly mixed love potion also has...unpleasant results."

"When do we give it to him? And who do we give the other half to?" Harry asked curiously.

"Dinner time," Hermione said definitely. "And I know the perfect candidate." This time her smile was positively fiendish.

~~~

Severus Snape hated meal times. With a vengeance. Especially as he always managed to get stuck sitting right next to the most annoying chatterbox, who sprouted absolute nonsense and tried to convince him she had seen his future. Which, apparently, included her.

"The tea leaves were shaped in a heart," Sibyll Trelawney lowered her curled lashes flirtatiously, "it means that soon a great love will appear before your eyes."

He shrugged off her wandering hand. "I hardly think anyone would be suicidal enough."

Instead of warning her off, she only gave a girlish laugh, grabbed his hand, and said, "Oh Sevie, you are soooo adorable!" He winced. Sevie. The name churned his stomach. Suddenly he felt quite sick and feverish. He must be coming down with something. He looked at Sibyll, who had gravitated toward him again. Except this time, instead of being repulsed, he had to fight the urge to gather her closer. The scent of her, sandal wood incense and lavender, intoxicated him. Her eyes, which a glamour spell had turned a pale purple, seemed to draw him in. His hand closed around hers still in his grasp. He lowered his lips to hers.

"Severus," Dumbledore interjected loudly, "I need to speak with you, please come to my office."

He blinked as he came back to himself. What? His eyes narrowed. Oh, those Gryffindors were in for it now. He would have marched straight to them and grabbed their throats if Albus, his eyes twinkling, hadn't claimed his arm and steered him away. "My dear Severus," he began, "there seems to be...quite an attraction between you and Sibyll."

He glared at the Headmaster. "One more word, Albus, and I swear I will blast the glasses off your nose!"

"Violent, violent," Dumbledore said, and then had the nerve to chuckle.

~~~

Dumbledore's office, while not formidable by any means, nonetheless inspired the proper amount of respect to authority. The cushy chairs were arranged comfortably around the crackling fireplace and opposite of his desk. Curving bookshelves surrounded the walls, creating a distinct impression that they were going to topple any second. Hermione, seated in front of Dumbledore and next to Professor Snape, was feeling claustrophobic.

She sat nervously in the chair while Severus Snape glared at her and Albus Dumbledore smiled kindly, his face full of mirth and suppressed humor.

"Hermione," Dumbledore said, "you know why you're here."

She saw no reason to deny it. "Yes, sir."

"Do you know that it's strictly against school regulations for students to slip unidentified substances into a teacher's food or drink?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good, good." He smiled as if she had given him the secret of avoiding nasty-tasting Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "I don't suppose you'll tell me why you did so then?"

She lifted her gaze defiantly. "I thought it only fair that Professor Snape suffered the same humiliation I did."

"Girl," Snape growled, but was cut off by Dumbledore. "I couldn't agree more."

Both student and teacher gaped at him. He smiled. "Lemon drop?"

They both refused. "But Albus," Severus protested.

"No buts, young man," Dumbledore told him, "that young lady is perfectly right. You both need to understand each other a bit more. After all," he winked at Hermione, "you both cause each other no end of grief. It has to stop. And I know just the solution." He waved his wand over their heads and a smoky red halo appeared above them.

"Feelings shared, hearts entwined. Sadness and pain, happiness and fun, may they all be one."

With that, the circle lowered over both of them and tightened. Her head pounded fiercely as she felt something being squeezed alongside her brain. It faded away and she was left with the disorientating feeling of another person's emotions. Confusion, pain, frustration, anger; all of which she could sympathize with. She looked at Snape, he didn't seem to be faring much better than her. His eyes were still shut tight and he was massaging the base of his skull with one hand and his temple with the other. "Well, Albus, I hope you're happy now. What exactly did you do?"

Dumbledore looked surprised. "I would have thought it was obvious enough what I did."

"I can guess," Severus said sourly. "But I want to hear it from you."

Hermione watched the two of the suspiciously, her own logical brain on the verge of a breakthrough. "Oh my God!" she said weakly as the puzzle pieces matched up.

"I see Miss Granger has also figured it out," the Potions Master said scornfully. Hermione ignored the tone and found to her amazement that he wasn't as scornful as he pretended to be. The bundle of feelings that was him in her head said quite the opposite. Now mixed in with the chaotic mix was a hint of admiration and reluctant acknowledgement. "Well, now," he drawled as he sensed her bubble of amusement, "don't get too happy over this situation. Don't forget that while you can feel what I feel, I can do the same." He laughed humorlessly as her face darkened at the thought. "Yes, I feel the same. Albus, you can't mean to leave us like this!"

"Oh, I don't intend to."

"Good." Relief on both sides.

"I take the spell off at the end of this year."

"What?" they shouted in outrage.

"I trust that should be enough time to cure our problem. But if it's not..."

"Albus," he said warningly, "if you don't take that spell off right now..."

"I'm afraid I can't," he said blithely, seemingly oblivious to the dismayed expressions on both their faces. "I specified that only at the end of this year can it be removed."

They saw that it was useless to argue with him. Hermione, her mind clicking away, was determined she would not wait until the end of the year. She was already mentally going through the reference books in the library, trying to decide which ones would help her come up with a counter spell. Severus, likewise, was also busy trying to identify Dumbledore's spell and devising several murderous plans. There was a thoughtful silence as all of them were lost in their own thoughts.

"Well," Dumbledore spoke, "it's almost time for your detention. And may I remind you both," that infuriating smile again, "murder and suicide are not feasible courses of action."

They glowered at him. "You're not going to get away with this," Severus said.

"I already have."

~~~