When Hermione Fights

The Fireplace Room

Chapter beta: Dani

Chapter translator: Aivy

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Severus' POV

I was a man who was always in control.

I hardly ever allowed myself the slightest hint of emotions, because emotions make you weak. Emotions hinder. Emotions... Who needed emotions?

For a long time, I had not been a man who did anything because of sentiments. Except once, only once, when I had lost control, devastatingly and completely.

This shameful experience had happened to me only recently and for the first time in many years, if not a decade. What had driven me to lose control? Exactly, she, a woman; or rather, she, the minx!

I was now somewhat indignant and angry that she managed to introduce the discord she always spread into my family. How dare she?! I had never seen Draco act so thoughtlessly in battle as he had done today and even I had been distracted by Lucius' so well-calculated, malicious words.

He was a master at hurting and manipulating people. To my own surprise, he had managed to strike a chord for the first time in a long while and had turned us against each other. Of course, I deserved to be struck down by Draco for what I had done; I knew that. But not winning was as much in my nature as in Dracos or Lucius' and probably in Hermione's, too, because she always wanted to win.

I still had her words in my ear:

~"I don't need any help to get my revenge. It always comes, as Draco knows, so you won't get any thanks from me, Lucius! And if you don't believe me, I can't help it, but many people have already thought that nothing would come anymore and then it came all the more unexpected, for them! So it's much more fun, don't you think?"~

The worst part was, I believed her completely.

Maybe the minx had put what had happened behind her and had more or less forgiven me. Nevertheless, if she ever had the opportunity to get one over on me, she would. She would get her revenge and enjoy it. That was very Slytherin and very Malfoy of her; a fact I could respect.

However, I was shocked that she was actually like that. I didn't know if Lucius had noticed this in all its implications, but in my understanding she had let us look very deeply into the inner workings of her mind through this statement. Immediately, I had thought of Rita Skeeter; the beetle, as Hermione always called her.

Right. The minx had told me that the reporter belonged to her. After the vicious articles in her fourth year of school, she seemed to have apprehended Skeeter and taken revenge in some way. Apparently, she had been more than successful. I did not doubt her.

Yes, we shouldn't underestimate this little minx at any time, and that included me.

I pondered Draco's words. Yes, he was right, I had given her a covetous, yearning look. She was just too enticing. Why did she attract me so much? And after everything that had happened?

When it came to her, it was really hard for me not to give in to my desires, although I was otherwise a very frugal, almost ascetic man.

When we had this unexpected, but very sensible conversation, after the will-reading, I had felt very comfortable in her presence and it was mutual. I knew that because I knew her well by now.

Despite that, she still managed to surprise me, for example when she had confidently walked through the door of the pub in her flattering hooded dress and then had pulled the hood off her head in a brazen move...