Hint of the next chapter
Sep. 27th, 2005 01:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
averygoodun42Here is a completely un-betaed snippet from Chapter 10 of Marry A Choice. Hopefully there aren't too many errors.
Hermione made her way down to the dungeons first, figuring she should have all the details before talking with Remus. He was under enough stress without being thrown back and forth with her decisions. If Snape couldn't ever respect her then the issue became moot.
She had started off resolutely enough, but she could feel her courage waning with each step down into the dungeons. It was as if with each step the increasing chill drained a little more of her will power until she reached the base of the stairs, shivering with dread. The short walk from the stair base to Snape's office door was one of the longest in her life. No matter how badly that first conversation went, this one could be ten times worse. This one she had to give him the advantage of knowledge. She had to reveal her feelings. She shivered again.
Knees shaking, she stood in front of his office door for a minute, trying to regain her composure. She raised her hand to knock and noticed it was blue from the chill. That trivial detail reassured her that her nerves were, in fact, fine; she was shaking from the cold more than anything. She hoped. She would know for sure when she was face to face with him.
None too gently, she knocked on his door, making sure her back was straight and her head held high. She remained like that for a full minute, waiting for him to open the door before knocking again, slightly harder. After another minute of standing there in the empty corridor, she let her shoulders slump from the anticlimax.
He wasn't in.
Grunting in frustration, she looked into the classroom, to see if he was lurking in there, but it was dark and empty. The dungeons were devoid of any sign of life.
Swallowing her relief, she bit her lower lip and debated what to do next. She really didn't want to speak with Remus before clearing the air with Severus, but if Severus wasn't in the dungeons, where might he be? The staff room, of course!
She turned and headed up the stairs with more determination than spirit, hoping she wasn't embarking on a wild goose chase.
Half an hour later, she left the staff room with mixed feelings. On the one hand, Snape wasn't there, meaning she still had to decide whether to give up or not. On the other hand, Snape wasn't there, so she still could give up. Maybe it was a sign, an omen that she shouldn't ignore. She snorted at the thought, figuring it was all a matter of timing, nothing else.
Looking absently around her, she quickly compiled a list of likely Snape hideouts. Other than his private chambers (the bat cave?), there weren't that many likely places, and she refused to confront him on his personal ground. Doing so would be foolish at best, dangerous at worst. The only other place she could think of was the library.
Smirking, she thought it would be poetic justice indeed if he were there, as it was literally the last place she would look. Snape or no Snape, after the library she would talk to Remus. Maybe the library would radiate its hidden knowledge, and she would come up with an idea of what to say...
The library had more students than usual, mostly fifth and seventh years who were starting to think about their upcoming exams. Most of the tables were taken, and as she maneuvered around the isles, she noticed that even the restricted section's cubbyholes were occupied. Justin and Hannah waved to her from one table, and further down the stacks Blaise acknowledged her with a nod, but after thirty minutes, she left the library without finding the man she sought.
Sighing in resignation, she made her way out of the library, and headed for Remus' quarters.
Hermione made her way down to the dungeons first, figuring she should have all the details before talking with Remus. He was under enough stress without being thrown back and forth with her decisions. If Snape couldn't ever respect her then the issue became moot.
She had started off resolutely enough, but she could feel her courage waning with each step down into the dungeons. It was as if with each step the increasing chill drained a little more of her will power until she reached the base of the stairs, shivering with dread. The short walk from the stair base to Snape's office door was one of the longest in her life. No matter how badly that first conversation went, this one could be ten times worse. This one she had to give him the advantage of knowledge. She had to reveal her feelings. She shivered again.
Knees shaking, she stood in front of his office door for a minute, trying to regain her composure. She raised her hand to knock and noticed it was blue from the chill. That trivial detail reassured her that her nerves were, in fact, fine; she was shaking from the cold more than anything. She hoped. She would know for sure when she was face to face with him.
None too gently, she knocked on his door, making sure her back was straight and her head held high. She remained like that for a full minute, waiting for him to open the door before knocking again, slightly harder. After another minute of standing there in the empty corridor, she let her shoulders slump from the anticlimax.
He wasn't in.
Grunting in frustration, she looked into the classroom, to see if he was lurking in there, but it was dark and empty. The dungeons were devoid of any sign of life.
Swallowing her relief, she bit her lower lip and debated what to do next. She really didn't want to speak with Remus before clearing the air with Severus, but if Severus wasn't in the dungeons, where might he be? The staff room, of course!
She turned and headed up the stairs with more determination than spirit, hoping she wasn't embarking on a wild goose chase.
Half an hour later, she left the staff room with mixed feelings. On the one hand, Snape wasn't there, meaning she still had to decide whether to give up or not. On the other hand, Snape wasn't there, so she still could give up. Maybe it was a sign, an omen that she shouldn't ignore. She snorted at the thought, figuring it was all a matter of timing, nothing else.
Looking absently around her, she quickly compiled a list of likely Snape hideouts. Other than his private chambers (the bat cave?), there weren't that many likely places, and she refused to confront him on his personal ground. Doing so would be foolish at best, dangerous at worst. The only other place she could think of was the library.
Smirking, she thought it would be poetic justice indeed if he were there, as it was literally the last place she would look. Snape or no Snape, after the library she would talk to Remus. Maybe the library would radiate its hidden knowledge, and she would come up with an idea of what to say...
The library had more students than usual, mostly fifth and seventh years who were starting to think about their upcoming exams. Most of the tables were taken, and as she maneuvered around the isles, she noticed that even the restricted section's cubbyholes were occupied. Justin and Hannah waved to her from one table, and further down the stacks Blaise acknowledged her with a nod, but after thirty minutes, she left the library without finding the man she sought.
Sighing in resignation, she made her way out of the library, and headed for Remus' quarters.
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no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 07:02 pm (UTC)I am very much enjoying this story, so when I saw you had a live journal, I had to
trollcome on over. ;-)I hope you don't mind, but I also friended you. :-)
Good job with the snippet, btw. It's lovely, and I can hardly wait for the full chapter!
no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 07:43 pm (UTC)Get Severus head out of his bum, that's what I say.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 11:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 07:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 03:25 pm (UTC)Do you have any idea how many more chapters there are to come?
I never do. I starts and then I comes to the end and then I stops. And then usually people want a sequel. So I starts again.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 08:41 pm (UTC)Hermione needs to press on, she's not a Gryffindor for nothing.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-28 03:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-29 05:18 am (UTC)