The Serpent and the Lioness

Chapter 43

The weight in the room turned the air so thick that even the sword of Gryffindor would have struggled to cut it. No one dared to move, each one staring at another from across the table. Hermione's guilt heavy eyes and pursed lips looked at Ron. Ron's poorly contained jealousy infuriated eyes were turned towards Snape. Harry looked at Minerva helplessly while Draco curled his lip in his direction. Poppy looked worriedly at Hermione while Hagrid looked down at all of them at a loss.

Minutes passed and Hagrid could barely breathe through all the tension. Though it wasn't until he noticed Ron's mouth start to open that he made the unilateral decision to redirect everyone's attention to the main reason they were all gathered. With a loud singular clap from his giant hands, he gathered everyone's startled attention in an instant.

"Well I, for one, am hungry. Hermy, can you pass the rolls there?"

Hermione blinked at the half giant's gentle request, her eyes twitched as Ron's mouth audibly snapped shut, no doubt forgetting what he was about to say. She managed to pull her eyes away before catching up with her tongue, "Uh...yes, of course, Hagrid...here you are..."

Hermione shot Ron another fleeting glance over the top of the basket before passing it over. Madam Pomphrey helped send it along, taking a roll for herself in the process. She gave Hermione a look that told her she had better eat if, she knew what was good for her.

Draco and Severus' eye contact was broken by the basket and they too subsequently started to silently fill their plates. Hagrid let out a small breath as the tension in the room gradually lifted. Soft, 'pass the this and that', 'please' and 'thank yous' were spread around until a small feeling of normalcy fell into place.

After the tension had gradually lifted. Hagrid managed to get the two boys engaged in a light conversation about the new creature he was expecting to arrive soon. While Poppy inquired to Draco about the temporal reader he had created. Minerva listened in on both conversations and joined in where she could but she did take notice, with dismay, the two odd ones out. She chewed her bite slowly her eyes bouncing between their partially bowed heads.

Hermione's face rose and fell as if she were having a conversation but her lips didn't move other than to take a bite of food. She braced her chin on the back of her head for a moment while she chewed and looked at some far off point straight ahead. Severus looked as he was remembered to be. Stern, cold and completely emotionless. He sat straight in the chair, his body tight as a coiled spring.

Show me the inquisitors face.

What? Why...?

The name is familiar.

Familiar... in a good way? She knew it was useless to hope but did as he asked.

She glanced sideways to gauge his reaction but he was in full professor mode. It was odd to see him completely shut down after all the time they had spent together, learning, exploring, revealing themselves to each other. She did note a very faint narrowing of his eyes when she pressed the image to him but her observations were suddenly interrupted by a light tap at her elbow.

Hermione turned her head to the source her brow unknowingly mirroring the look in Severus' face. Harry gave her a soft smile and raised his brow in curiosity. Her hard look turned to one of confusion before finally relaxing all together.

Harry gave her arm a firm squeeze, "I'm glad you're okay...And I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you...they had us upstairs distracted when they came for you." He wanted desperately to ask about the baby but he knew it wasn't the best idea in present company.