Chapter Text
After their reunion with Ron, Harry had another realization that the next Horcrux could be at Hogwarts. For Hermione, she felt as though she was ripped in two. Her heart had belonged to two. It was Ron, though weird as it sounded, she harbored feelings for him. But when he had left them, she had a sense of relief. Because when he came back, yes, she was mad. But in all realness, she didn’t feel the same anymore. Maybe it was that she never felt that way about him in the first place? She thought it was easy to fall in love with her best friend. But when she thought about it, she’d rather have someone she truly loved. No matter the consequence. That was when she felt excited once again. With the realization that they were headed to Hogwarts once more, she couldn’t stop feeling giddy inside.
How did she know she harbored these feelings for the man who captured her heart? It happened one day in class. She was working on a potion, and believe it or not, it was Amortentia. She learned that one of the smells she caught was new parchment when doing said potion. For some reason, her first inkling was Ron, may because she was sitting close to her or one of her best friends. But when she came to think about it, she realized it was the professor who had taught her all these years. The only person who’d she told was Ginny. However, she caught her professor eying her suspiciously one day in class. Of course, she wanted to test the waters, so she made a few snide remarks in front of the class. And because of that, she received detention. She was pleased with herself. Though, nothing came of it. The two just carried on with silly banter. She knew better; nothing should ever come of her crush. That’s all that it was a crush, right?
Now, they were at Hogsmeade, trying to get past security. They had eased their way to Hog’s Head to meet Aberforth. They were told of a secret passageway to gain access to Hogwarts. They met up with Neville and walked right into the castle. They split up. They had a goal in mind for the Horcrux, but they just didn’t know exactly where. Hermione’s goal was different. She needed to find Severus and make sure that he was okay. With her luck, she could find Severus in Dumbledore’s old office. He was the new headmaster, after all. After she told her goodbyes to her friends, she rushed towards the office without knowing what to say.
Finally, she got to the gargoyle but realized she didn’t know the password. She started to panic when the gargoyle moved on its own. With wide eyes, she gulped and started walking up the stairs. The door was already opened. Hermione froze in place when she saw Severus Snape standing right before her. He was displeased. “What are you doing here?” He asked as if he was annoyed with her. His arms were crossed.