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Chapter 11

Hermione sat down in her usual spot right next to Neville. Feeling a bit uneasy, she looked up at the head table and saw that two chairs were vacant. Hermione knew that Severus was not going to turn up, but she had hoped that the headmistress had come out of hiding by now. But considering how drunk she had been, it would have surprised Hermione to actually see her.

"Hey Hermione, do you know where McGonagall and Snape are?", asked Neville while cutting his steak.

"The headmistress wasn't feeling well when I was there with Professor Snape half an hour ago. It would have surprised me if she were here, she wasn't looking good. As for Professor Snape- he wanted to adjust a few things on the Ministry's potions curriculum to make it more up to my and therefore his own standards."

Astoria, who was trying to feed little Blaise, looked at her curiously.

"Your curriculum? What do you mean by that?"

"He offered me an apprenticeship and the curriculum the Ministry has set is not what he thinks appropriate and way too easy. Furthermore, he said he'd be caring for Harry and Draco, they were too sleepy to come here and eat. He just sent me here to be around people my age."

She leaned forward and filled her plate with some potatoes, vegetables and steak and began to eat.

Together with Astoria and Neville, she walked back to their rooms in the dungeons. They parted ways on the stairs and Hermione cautiously walked into her rooms.

Severus was sitting in his armchair feeding Draco while Harry was already peacefully asleep in his crib.

Seeing him sitting there with the small child on his arm trying to get the boy to eat was cute to Hermione. She would even say that it warmed her heart seeing her professor — no, her mentor now — like that. It made her think about what could have happened if he wouldn't have been treated so poorly and thus had never made the decisions he made. She was almost certain that he wouldn't be that dour and bitter. In fact, she thought that he was that way because he has been alone and lonely for far too long.

He looked up at her and nodded in acknowledgement of her presence.

She smiled at him, went to her bookcase and chose a book to read.

Settling into the second armchair in front of her fireplace, she began reading "Dead Poet's Society", a book her father gave to her just before she had to erase their memories to save them. To no avail, she thought.

Her parents were killed in October when she was on the run. Apparently the death eaters were on a raid and her parents just happened to be there. This book was the last thing she received from her parents. It was one of the most precious things she owned if one were to ask her about things like that.

Although the book was not really that old, just above ten years, it was really well- worn. Hermione always read it. She read it whenever she felt down and searched for comfort, she read it when she had a particularly good day and wanted to read a muggle book or even when she was just plain bored.

"What book is this?" 

Her companion had stood up and placed the blonde baby boy in his crib.

Severus walked over towards her and sat down in his armchair again.

"This? This is called "Dead Poet's Society"."

"I have to say that I have read many books over the years, wizard and muggle alike — but I never heard of this one before."

Hermione placed a bookmark and closed her book fidgeting it in her hands.

"It's a muggle book. It was published circa 10 years ago. I've read it quite a lot the last years so basically since I got it from my dad."

He eyed the book curiously, and so she handed it to him. Severus took it cautiously in his long and nimble fingers, turning it in his hands.

"It seems as though it's been read quite a lot in those years though. What makes it that special?"

"It reminds me of my fifth year — the year Umbridge reigned here. She strictly forbade the usage of spells and charms in her classroom, and therefore we didn't learn anything from her. Voldemort had just returned and everyone was either ignoring that fact or was very scared. I got Harry to teach us spells and charms because I knew that there was a war coming, it was inevitable. We learned so much from him just because one teacher was too conservative, too evil, she didn't want us to do more than what she told us to do. Dead Poet's Society is about a rather young teacher at a renowned school in America by the name of John Keating. The other teachers were old and so very conservative. Their students were practically supposed to go to their rooms once classes were over and do their assignments given by the teachers and only those. The teachers didn't want their students to do more, experiment, read other stuff, learn other theories. 

However, John Keating was hired to teach English and poetry at his old school. He taught his students to do the exact opposite of what the other teachers told them. He wanted them to learn more, learn about other things and concentrate on what they love. For example, he told one his students by the name of Neal Perry, who had an affinity for acting, to just go for it, even though his father strictly forbade it. 

In his youth Keating and some of his friends formed a club and named themselves "Dead Poet's Society". Soon after he began teaching his students stumbled upon a book with an inscription made by Keating about the club, and they decided to form a new club like that. Let it be sufficed to say that things were bound to happen. Not everyone really enjoys this book but personally — I just love it."

Severus nodded and opened the book.

"May I borrow it? You made me really curious."

His apprentice nodded and smiled shyly at him.

"Of course. I think that I'll go talk to Minerva again. I fear for her health. The speed with which she has been drinking this morning is alarming."

Severus nodded and started reading the book while Hermione turned to her fireplace.

++++++++++

"Professor, are you here?" 

She heard the clattering sound of glass crashing against glass followed by unsteady footsteps coming in her direction.

"Miss Granger. What can I do for you this time?", asked a clearly smashed Minerva McGonagall with a heavy slur stumbling towards her former student. The brown-eyed witch quickly went over to aid the headmistress and helped her into her chair.

"Professor, you may not like it, but you need someone to talk to about your problems. I'm no longer your student and the only person available so speak up."

Her tone was strict and left no room for any argument. While her drunken professor tried to comprehend those words, she produced a small vial from her pocket.

"Drink this, it will help with the effects of the alcohol you consumed in vast amounts."

The headmistress took the vial and swallowed its contents. Heaving a deep sigh she started to talk.