The Burning Pen

A Looping of the Scales by Ruth Solomon

The story content is adult in nature and can contain graphic sex and violence.  Those under the age of 18 are asked to leave this site immediately.  You are not welcome here.  The author is not responsible for those under-aged who view these works.

CHAPTER 73

All recognizable characters belong to JKR. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 73 ~ After the Party

After Scourgifying themselves, the group decided not to waste the extra hours, and headed down the marble stairwell, intending on going out on the grounds when they ran right into Filch.

The Squib eyed Harry, Ron and Ginny with a frown, then looked at Snape. He was used to seeing him with Hermione, but this?

”Mr. Snape,” Filch said in greeting.

”Good evening, Mr. Filch,” Snape replied.

”Where are you heading?”

”Er . . . outside. Professor Slughorn’s party—er—ended a bit early and we thought we’d take a turn around the grounds since we have an extra hour or two, technically—“

Filch squinted his eyes at Snape’s companions. He could order them back to their houses if he wanted to, and he did want to do it. Heroes or not, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were trouble with a capital “T”. The gods only knew what mischief they could get into. But, they were with Snape and he didn’t want to ruin Snape’s evening.

“All right, Mr. Snape, but they all have to be back in the castle and IN their houses by one o’clock,” Filch told him. “And no funny business. Potter and Weasley are known for their shenanigans.”

“There won’t be any shenanigans, Mr. Filch. I’ll take full responsibility,” Snape promised.

”Not sure you should do that, Mr. Snape,” Filch said, frowning again. “But, I can’t pick your friends for you, so go ahead outside, all of you.”

Everyone murmured their thanks and did just that, Filch looking after them with a frown.

”What a group to fall in with,” he muttered, turning on his heel and heading up the marble staircase. “Nothing but trouble, the whole lot. If Snape still had his memories, he’d remember how they are and give them a wide berth. I hope they don’t get the lad in a sticky situation. He’s been through enough.”

Once outside, Ron turned to everyone.

”Wow, I can’t believe Filch didn’t send us to our houses,” he said.

”That’s because he likes Severus,” Hermione said with a smile. She was holding Snape’s arm. “He gave him some salve to make his arthritis better.”

Ron narrowed his eyes at Snape.

”So, you’re at the bottom of Filch’s catching everybody! He almost caught me the other night when I was sneaking back from snogging Susan after curfew. I ran down a corridor with my shirt pulled over my head so he couldn’t see my hair, and—and he almost caught up to me before I realized it. I got away, but it was close!”

Snape simply shrugged.

”Fraternizing with the enemy,” Ron groused as they all walked down the stairs, Snape smirking at his back.

”We’re not going to be able to walk across the grounds in these heels,” Ginny complained. Hermione had to agree. Susan’s heel was broad enough not to break the ground.

”You could transfigure them into something more comfortable,” Harry suggested.

”No!” Snape said quickly. “I’ll carry you, Hermione.”

He didn’t want those shoes off her feet. He transformed into the gryffin complete with saddle. Hermione looked at him.

”Well, that solves my problem, but what about Ginny?” she asked.

Susan suddenly transformed into the elk. She snorted at Ginny and shrugged her shoulder, lowering her body.

”Oh! Cool!” she said, climbing on. Susan looked at Harry and tossed her head.

”Me too?” he asked her, and she nodded.

”Cool!” Harry said, climbing on after Ginny.

Ron transformed into his orangutan form and beat on his chest before leading them off, running across the grounds followed by the gryffin, elk and their human riders. The moon was still waxing and the landscape around them was well lit by its silvery light.

Snape and Susan walked side by side, Harry and Ginny grinning down at Hermione, who wasn’t smiling at all as she looked at Susan and wondered how long she had been trying to become an Animagus. It was unsettling to see both she and Ron had animal forms. She wanted to know more as she watched her easily and gracefully carry Harry and Ginny.

Occasionally, Snape would screech at Susan, who made guttural noises back at him. Apparently, they could communicate with each other in their animal forms. Hermione felt a little envious at this. Suddenly, Snape began to trot, as did Susan, both Harry and Ginny clinging to the elk with their knees and Ginny hanging on to her neck as they bounced and laughed.

Ron barreled ahead, galumphing along, doing an occasional joyous tumble as they approached the Forbidden forest. Hermione couldn’t help thinking about the Chimeras, but they had more than enough people to fight off an attack.

They entered the trees, Snape leading the way. Ron took to the trees swinging through the branches as Susan carefully picked her way through. After a few minutes, they came to the clearing. The packed dirt was hard enough here to support slender heels. Hermione, Harry and Ginny dismounted and set about making a large bonfire as Snape, Susan and Ron continued socializing as animals, Ron yanking Snape’s tail and running into the trees, pursued by the gryffin as the elk watched, making noises of mirth.

Hermione sat on a boulder, watching them and feeling left out as Harry and Ginny joined her, watching them too.

”I bet that’s how it was with my father and his friends,” Harry said softly as Susan and Snape playfully circled each other. “I bet they played together, too.”

”I just want to know how long it took Susan to find her form. Has she been studying all along?” Hermione asked Harry, who shrugged.

”Ron hasn’t said anything about it,” Harry replied.

”He’s changed,” Ginny said. “He used to blabber about everything to Harry. He doesn’t do that anymore.”

”Well, some things,” Harry added, turning a little green. Ron still liked to give intimate details about him and Susan to Harry. He didn’t do it with anyone else though. Harry was his best mate.

”I think it’s because of the NEWTs. He’s been working very hard on it, Hermione. He has almost a foot high stack of research. I’ve seen it, but he won’t let me look at anything he’s written,” Ginny said, then cried “Ooh!” as Snape caught orangutan Ron by the shoulders, flew with the screaming ape over the trees and dropped him into the topmost branches.

A lot of crashing sounds and ape cries followed.

”Oh, that had to hurt!” Harry said, scrunching up his face in sympathy as Hermione’s mouth dropped open. After a minute or two, Ron ran out of the trees and started throwing something at Snape, who flapped and dodged above him, screeching in outrage.

”I don’t think that’s mud,” Harry said as Susan trotted away a distance, snuffling loudly as if something unpleasant was caught in her nose. A big glop hit Snape in the center of his snow white feathered chest.

“Ew!” both Hermione and Ginny hissed as gryffin Snape dove at orangutan Ron, who ran back into the trees, screeching laughter. Snape landed in the clearing, turned into human form and ran into the woods after Ron with his wand drawn.

”Oh, that’s not good,” Harry said as a flash of light shot through the trees, followed closely by a apish shriek of pain, then Ron yelling “Oi! You bastard! You set my arse hair on fire!”

“You hit me with dung, you gorilla!” was Snape’s snarled reply. Then the flashes started again. Obviously, they were dueling. Susan trotted up to the witches and wizard, then transformed back to human form and sat down on the boulder next to Hermione.

”I’m not getting involved in that,” she said, shaking her head as hexes were shouted and light flew back and forth. Then, there was the sound of grappling and Snape and Ron rolled out of the forest, brawling.

“Oh, good gravy!” Hermione exclaimed, hopping off the boulder and hurrying over to the wrestling wizards. She pointed her wand at them. Ron had Snape in a chokehold, and Snape reached over his shoulder and hit him in the eye with an upraised knuckle.

”Ow!” Ron cried as Snape twisted around, loosening his grip. Suddenly they were both deluged by freezing water.

“Hey!” they both yelled, breaking apart and seeing Hermione standing there, water dripping from the tip of her wand.

”That’s enough, you two. Really. Haven’t you had enough dueling for one night?” she chided them.

“Snape started it. He shouldn’t have dropped me into the trees. That hurt!” Ron complained, pulling out his wand and drying himself.

”You pulled my tail,” Snape countered as he dried and Scourgified his robes. “Did you think that felt good? Then you threw ape shit at me.”

”Sorry about that, mate. A natural response,” Ron said with a grin.

Hermione shook her head as Snape snorted.

“Well, enough of that. Come over by the fire,” she ordered, walking back toward the fire.

Ron and Snape glared at each other for a moment, then broke into grins and followed Hermione over to the bonfire. Harry, Ginny and Susan were smiling at them.

“That was entertaining,” Ginny said to them. “You’ve got pretty good aim as an ape, Ron, disgusting as it is. Did you Scourgify your hands?”

“Of course I did. Shut up, Ginny. Merlin,” Ron said bad-naturedly as he sat down next to Susan.

Snape sat down next to Hermione, looked around at his companions, then stared into the bonfire quietly.

”We should have brought some Butterbeers and snacks,” Ron said as his stomach growled.

”Ron, you can’t possibly be hungry after all the food you ate at the party,” Hermione told him.

”He’s bottomless, Hermione,” Susan said, pulling out her wand and pointing it skyward.

“Accio cornucopia!” she cried, then lowered her wand.

Everyone looked at her.

”You have a cornucopia?” Ginny asked, impressed.

”Yes. I usually use it to get ingredients I need to cook with when they aren’t available at Hogwarts. But I can get other things, too. My parents foot the bill for supplies although I usually only use it when I have to,” she replied. “But I’m sure they won’t mind this.”

”You have a cornucopia and you didn’t tell me?” Ron asked her in disbelief.

”I’m not trying to bankrupt my family, Ron,” she replied. “So, just pretend I DON’T have one, all right?”

”Bankrupt your family? What do you mean by that?” he demanded, incensed.

”She means you’ll eat her out of house and home, Weasley,” Snape answered. “You’re a glutton. You’d probably eat yourself to death if you got hold of something like that.”

”I am not a glutton!” Ron said defensively. “I just have a high metabolism.”

”If I weren’t familiar with you, I’d suspect you were a crossbreed,” Snape continued. “Most likely of the order of Soricomorpha, and the family Soricidae.”

Ron, Harry and Ginny looked bewildered at the reference, but Susan and Hermione laughed.

”What’s so funny?” Ron demanded.

”He’s referring to the shrew family, Ron,” Hermione chuckled.

”A shrew? I don’t see anything funny about that.”

Susan composed herself.

”Shrews have very high metabolisms too, Ron. Some have to eat three times their weight a day in order to survive,” she informed him.

Now Harry and Ginny chuckled too. Snape looked at Ron with mirth in his eyes.

“Well, I used to think you were part bat, the way you hunkered down in the dungeons and swooped around the castle,” Ron retorted, “The order of Black-winged Prats, of the family of Great Big Gits.”

Snape chuckled. Ron could give as good as he got, even if he wasn’t as academically smart as he was. Everyone else laughed too. Suddenly, the cornucopia flew into the clearing, landing at Susan’s feet. She picked it up.

”Time for a bit of nosh,” she said with a smile.

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”Come down to my quarters,” Snape breathed at Hermione passionately. They were in a tapestry-covered niche near Gryffindor tower, Hermione pressed against the wall as Snape hungrily snogged her, pressing into her body in an unmistakable manner.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Susan had all departed once they returned to the castle, everyone giving each other space in case they wanted private time. Hermione wouldn’t go back to Snape’s quarters and he walked her to Gryffindor tower. Well, almost to Gryffindor tower. He pulled her into the niche as soon as it came up. He and Lily used to talk here sometimes. Now, it served another purpose as he attempted to seduce Hermione.

”No, Severus. We’ve done it two days in a row. We need to take a break,” Hermione said softly, nearly breathless from his ardor.

”I don’t need a break, I need you, Hermione,” he replied, kissing her again, running his hand under her dress and up her thigh, leaving a trail of heat.

”No,” she said weakly. I need to go, Severus. I didn’t sleep in my own bed last night. I got away with it once, but I can’t take chances. We have to follow protocol—“

”Let me do you here, then, Hermione—against the wall. I’d be good—so good. I’m so hard for you. Just turn around and I’ll take care of the rest,” he purred, pressing his erection into her belly.

Hermione was turned on, but she managed to keep her head rather than give in.

”No,” she said firmly. “I won’t Severus. We have to exercise some control,” she told him, gently pushing him off her body.

Snape stared at her, then sighed.

“All right. But if my nads turn blue, it’s going to be your fault.”

”I happen to like the color blue.”

Snape caught her by the arm a little roughly and walked her out from behind the tapestry after peeking out first to make sure no one was around. They stopped in front of the Fat Lady, who had seen them come from behind the tapestry.

”It’s late, Miss Granger,” she said primly. There was a little disapproval in her voice.

”I know,” Hermione replied as Snape glared at the painting. It was getting a bit nosey now. “I’m going in soon.”

The painting’s eyes shifted from Hermione to Snape, then back to Hermione.

”Come to think of it, I don’t remember you returning last night,” the Fat Lady said with narrowed eyes. “I keep a count of the students’ comings and goings. No, I distinctly—“

”Obliviate!”

Hermione gasped as Snape hit the painting with the memory loss spell.

“Oh, Severus. You shouldn’t have done that!” she said to the frowning wizard.

”You’re nineteen. She doesn’t have to keep tabs on you,” he said angrily. “Or give you the third degree. She’s just a portrait, Hermione. You deserve some privacy. I wasn’t about to stand here and listen to you trying to explain yourself to some colors on a canvas.”

Hermione looked at him and sighed. Severus was only trying to protect her. He was so—caring.

”Thank you,” she said softly.

He nodded, then lifted her hand and kissed it.

”Good night, Hermione,” the wizard said as she drew her hand back into her breast, loving his gallantry. It was old fashioned, but somehow seemed perfect.

”Good night, Severus,” Hermione replied then said the password. The Fat Lady swung back, a dazed look on her painted face. Snape watched the portrait swing back, then glared at the painting.

It blinked at him, still confused.

”Where did you come from?” it asked him.

”Nowhere,” Snape replied, turning and walking down the corridor.

Blasted portrait.

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A/N: Lol, another chapter that took an unexpected twist. Orangutans are well-known for poop-throwing. I just had to write about that. Lolol. Snape and Ron seem to have a kind of caustic friendship. I know people who like each other but constantly bicker for the hell of it. I think that’s Snape and Ron. Anyway, thanks for reading. ***

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