Chapter 26: To Muzzle Gryffindors

Common Room, Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts...

Harry Potter had been having a hard time dealing with what had happened in the last couple of days. The weight of keeping Professor Dumbledore's secret had been quite a heavy one. He had hardly remembered what had occurred in The Headmasters office but he knew he had been summoned because he had Professor Snape's memories still stored in his head. He had been surprised to see Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Lady Hamershal, and Lucius Malfoy all in attendance. It was all too clear that they had all known exactly who Sebastian Prince truly was from the very beginning.

{ The Headmaster had cast his spell and everything had gone black. When Harry came to he glared daggers at everyone in the room. He couldn't believe that they had all deceived Professor Snape and Hermione in this way. Dumbledore's blue eyes softened as he looked upon the young green eyed wizard.

"Harry." he said softly. "I understand your apprehension...we have all been keeping this secret for quite some time."

Harry raised an eyebrow. The Headmaster had read his mind. Why am I not surprised?

"Professor Dumbledore, if you knew that Sebastian was Professor Snape this whole time then why all the secrets?" asked the young wizard.

"I did what I could to protect him Harry." replied Dumbledore. "Rouge death eaters had injured him quite badly."

"They erased his memory in the process." added Madam Pomfrey.

"What The Headmaster did was the only way to save him." said Lucius in a bored tone. "No doubt they would have killed him in his weakened condition...and Severus is so unreasonable...he never would have trusted anyone as he was."

Harry considered this.

"But...Hermione." he started.

"I've done my best to put a stop to any sort of budding romance between the two of them." said Professor McGonagall.

Harry grew silent. He had known first hand that she had not done a very good job of that. Hermione and Sebastian had been shagging for quite some time. The young green eyed wizard turned his attention to Lady Hamershal.

"Everyone else here was genuinely trying to help the professor." he said not letting up on his glare. "Why are you here?"

Lady Hamershal sighed.

"I came because my son needed me." she replied.

No he doesn't." replied Harry. "You left him years ago."

"Harry." said Dumbledore surprised at him.

"She left her son to the mercy of an abusive monster." said Harry irate. "Why does she think she can just come back like nothing happened."

"Harry." said Dumbledore being the voice of reason. "Everyone makes mistakes, especially where Severus is concerned...you of all people should know that."

Harry looked down at his feet.

The Headmaster smiled and put his hand on the young wizard's shoulder.

"Eileen loves her son." he continued. "She would not be here otherwise...how they proceed with their relationship is none of your concern...but it is quite admirable that you are so protective of him."

Harry nodded.

"I still don't like this." he said. "He's going to be really angry when he finds out...especially when he finds out that I am involved."

"I would not doubt that Severus might be a little miffed about the state of things." said The Headmaster. "But, given time I'm sure he will understand."

Harry looked at The Headmaster in disbelief. Do you know anything about Professor Snape? Understanding is not his strong suite.}

The gathering had ended with Dumbledore making the young wizard take a wizarding oath to keep him from saying anything about the situation to anyone outside of those who had known the truth, especially where Severus Snape was concerned. The green eyed wizard shook his head. This was not going to end well. He had only hoped that he was as far from Professor Snape when he learned the truth as possible, He had not even wanted to be anywhere near Hermione either for that matter.

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The Great Hall, Hogwarts...

Professor McGonagall had still been irate when Severus Snape entered the hall. He took his usual seat at the staff table near the door and Professor Flitwick. The tiny charms Professor had been the only staff member he could tolerate as of late. He had always been relatively pleasant toward him. The Head of Gryffindor house had been glaring daggers into him as he looked down at his plate. The hall had been nicely decorated in Slytherin Green and silver. The Slytherin table had been a buzz with cheer and the latest victory over the Gryffindors via Professor Snape finessing Hermione Granger was legendary. They all raised their goblets to their Head of house in respect. Snape scowled slightly, even he was enjoying this too much to be completely bitter.

Lupin shook his head. It seemed that Snape had been up to his old tricks. Still it had been a rather brilliant one and Hermione did sort of have it coming for trying to out teach a teacher. The mischievous young boy that has still been very much apart of Lupin's persona had thought it quite the magnificent trick. The Gryffindor in him had been pissed at the evident loss of the house cup.

Severus Snape's obsidian eyes locked on the the one responsible for such a skillful triumph...Hermione Granger.

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The Gryffindor Table...

"I can't believe we've lost the lead for the house cup." said one of the grumbling Gryffindors.

"It's Hermione's fault we're losing." said yet another embittered Gryffindor student.

"That's not fair, Snape tricked her." said Ron in defense of Hermione.

"She made a deal with a Slytherin." said another student. "Of course he tricked her...and they call her the brightest witch of our age."

Hermione glared daggers at Snape who smirked at her rather smugly from the staff table.

"Stupid Slytherin git." she muttered.

Ginny smiled upon hearing this.

It had all seemed so familiar.

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Slytherin Table...

Draco Malfoy could not hide the grin that had come across his face when he looked up at the green and silver banners.

"I can't believe it." said a Slytherin student looking up at the banners as well.

"We're in the lead...and there's no magic trick Potter can pull to save Gryffindor at the last moment." said another Slytherin.

"All thanks to Professor Snape and know-it-all Granger." said Pansy.

"For once I am happy she's a know-it-all." said Draco smiling openly.

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Staff Table...

Professor McGonagall continued to glare at Professor Snape from her end of the table. It was clear that she was not going to let this slide and had been intent on having her say about what Snape had done to Hermione Granger. She had been fiercely protective of her favorite Gryffindor witch and he had not doubted that she would been irate if what happened in the corridors had been any indication.

"You think your so clever don't you?" said Professor McGonagall.

Simply regarded her with an emotionless expression.

"I do not think I am clever Minerva...I know I am." he replied. "If you call yourself trying to take me to task for what was a fair bargain then you are wasting your time and mine."

Professor McGonagall looked positively murderous.

"You tricked that girl and you know it Severus." said McGonagall.

"I simply made her a wager." replied Snape. "It's not my fault she for got the golden rule when bargaining with a Slytherin."

"Miss Granger is not use to dealing with your barbaric tactics." said McGonagall going on the defensive.

Snape tuned out her long and boring speech of how Hermione is so good an noble and how seedy and wicked he was. It had really been getting tiresome. Whoever said "Some things never change" had Minerva McGonagall in mind. When it seemed the old woman had finally wound down Snape simply pushed his plate away and headed out the door. Hermione had gotten a little satisfaction watching "The Greasy Git" turn tell and run after Professor McGonagall let loose on him.

{"Are you sure you aren't a Slytherin?"} came Sebastian's voice in her memory.

Hermione smiled to herself. You might be on to something. There was no way she could get back at Professor Snape the Gryffindor way, he was a teacher and physically assaulting him was near impossible however...He did always give her grief about her intelligence...maybe she could prove him right...just this once.

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Potions Class, Hogwarts...

Hermione had been scrubbing cauldrons for hours and her hands were numb and pruney from all the soap and water. Her back ached and exhaustion had begun to set in. The air had been cold in the classroom and she could almost swear that Snape had been enjoying her misery. He had not said more than two words to her while she worked and continued marking essays in his spidery scrawl with red ink as if she had not been there at all. The quiet had been kind of strange at first. Then Hermione got use to it. After a week of scrubbing, Hermione made her way back to Gryffindor tower with a gleam in her amber eyes.

It was time to put her plan for payback into action.

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ELSEWHERE...

Lucius Malfoy's Study, Malfoy Manor, Wizarding World...

Lucius Malfoy had been sitting quietly staring at the swirling magic inside a newly acquired pensive. The handsome blond albino wizard had been privy to quite the feature as of late. The complete memories of one Sebastian S. Prince. He had quite a few interesting scenes especially ones concerning the ever brilliant and utterly beautiful Gryffindor witch Hermione Jean Granger. The Pureblood wizard never would have guessed that the young Muggle-Born witch could be so...passionate. It was almost sweet to look in on the build up of the budding little romance. Lucius had been tempted to summon a house elf to bring him popcorn. His gray eyes had been heated as he watched the first little romantic scene unfold. He had been viewing the memories quite a bit since he had acquired them from a stupefied Sebastian back at The Shrieking Shack.

Within the pensive young Sebastian had only begun to take the beautiful Miss Granger.

"Severus, you never cease to amaze me." said the senior Malfoy with a wicked grin. "Of course, I taught you everything you know."

As the action picked up Lucius had found himself getting a little hot under the collar.

"Amazing." he said adding further commentary. "No memory and he can still manage to shag a witch with all the finesse of a Malfoy."

The Governor pulled himself out of the pensive and sighed.

It was a pity he was going to have to return them to Severus. He had originally intended to destroy them in a moment of self-preservation, but then Draco's description of Sebastian as a student and his best friend moved the older Malfoy to see what all the fuss had been about. This Sebastian was quite a formidable young man even when he had no real memory of who he was. He had taken on the death eaters McNair and Bart Jr., out maneuvered The Headmaster and rescued his little girlfriend.

His loyalty to Draco had been admirable as well as his defense of a man he knew nothing about.

"Such a shame really." said Lucius out loud. "Severus would have made a decent father."

The handsome albino blond wizard recalled the images from the pensive of the last night Sebastian Prince spent with Hermione Granger.

"Then again stranger things have been known to happen." he said with a knowing grin.