Chapter 38

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Abagail had kept in near constant contact with the lawyers, hoping to speed things up so they could have custody of Harry before the next term. The lawyers understood the gravity of the situation and planned on using the TriWizard Tournament to their advantage, since Dumbledore let it happen.

There were statements, claiming that it was a binding contract that forced the Boy-Who-Lived to compete. However they looked into the fine print and found some surprising terms in the contract that they were willing to exploit.

The Grangers read it over with the Burmings, also finding small print details that they could expand on to help the young wizard. It would appear that things had not been as they appeared, even in the paper.

The Burmings were surprised with their clients, normally they would do all the legwork and the process would drag on since they had to spread themselves between cases. However the Grangers were very hands on in the process, and it sped things along quite nicely. They were more than willing to help with research and it turned more into a think tank than it ever had in their career. It was very refreshing.

The Burmings enjoyed their jobs, and they enjoyed essentially being political sharks, especially in the wizarding world. For a whole group of people to simply dismiss you for your name or blood, it was quite satisfying to be the one that flipped them on their metaphorical ass. A proverbial punch in the nether regions.

The Grangers were very educated so they didn't need much help understanding certain words. There were a few here and there that they needed brushing up on, which was normal even for them when they were looking through the more archaic laws. It was just as helpful that while they worked alongside the Grangers their feeling about the case in general was much better than when they began.

Soon they would be able to confront the Dursleys about Harry Potter's guardianship.

xoxox

The petite witch confidently made her way to the potions master's office, knowing that if she looked like she had to be there, not many would think to ask why. Of course there would be a few wondering why a Gryffindor would willingly seek out the professor who was known for his biased opinion, however they would simply assume it was due to her know-it-all nature.

It was 6:59 when she knocked on the door.

"Enter," came the reply.

The witch waited a few seconds before opening the door. It was exactly 7 o'clock when she entered the room. She wasn't in the mood to hear him knit-pick about her being early or late, so she would arrive just on time.

The potions master was seated at his desk as the witch quietly let herself into his office. He was slightly annoyed that he wouldn't be able to berate her for being too early or too late. He had considered waiting a minute before answering, making her late, but decided he would be above such pettiness. That was usually reserved for Potter. These lessons indeed had something to do with Potter, but it was not Potter he was dealing with. Besides, it was his idea that these lessons should take place.

"Miss Granger, right on time," he said instead.

His eyes took in her attire, noticing that she wore her school robes over whatever it was she was wearing under. The wizard was impressed, almost expecting her to appear in only her breathable attire. However he was working with the brain of the golden trio, so it would make sense that she be aware not to attract undue attention.

The young witch did not respond and the wizard did not expect her to.

"We will not be having your lessons in my office, but an unused classroom is attached to it. I have cleaned it out and re-purposed it. It's under a notice-me-not charm and a pattern based password, much like the one to Diagon Alley," his voice was deep and soft, much like it was during class.

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Like most witches, Hermione found his voice to be his most appealing trait. It was deep, smooth, it had an almost hypnotic quality to it. If it were not for his sour attitude Hermione was sure the professor would get unwanted advances every year, like clockwork. What she was unaware of was that the professor did get unwanted advances from students like clockwork. As soon as a witch (and some wizards) became of age, they propositioned the wizard if they could tolerate his personality.

Usually it was a Slytherin, but the odd Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff cropped up. He always turned them down, disgusted that they would even think he would be swayed by sex. He was almost tempted his first year of teaching, but quickly diminished the temptation once the witch thought it would be the perfect exchange for better grades. It was a pathetic attempt, in his opinion, to think that they could obtain good grades by being a good lay. If they wanted better grades, they could open a book.

Surprisingly it wasn't against school rules to be in a relationship or to have relations with a student. It was mostly because when the school first opened some of the staff members had spouses much younger than themselves, and were often their students. It was normal for a staff member to have a wife or a betrothed as young as a fourth year. While it was sometimes frowned upon, it was not against school rules. That and it wasn't uncommon for a staff member to take a student lover from time to time, considering how rarely the staff left the castle. After a time they only had relations with witches or wizards who were of age.

The last one to take a lover was Septima. She was a fair and strict professor, and extremely professional in the classroom. However she did occasionally take a seventh year for a lover every other year or so. Usually it was an effeminate wizard, but her last known student lover was Nymphadora Tonks. There was a betting pool to see if she would have Draco Malfoy during his seventh year.

The professor stood up and walked to a wall that was casually ignored, courtesy of the notice-me-not charm, and tapped the stones in a particular pattern. The witch couldn't see as the tall professor blocked her view with his back.

Then, just like in Diagon Alley, the stones started to move, and left a doorway in their wake.

"Come along, Miss Granger," he said walking through the door.

Hermione walked briskly, following that dark professor through the door before it sealed itself up again.

She was surprised when she saw the 're-purposed' classroom, as Professor Snape had called it. There were clear lines on the stone floor, a full length mirror that covered one of the walls, and some practicing dummies. She wasn't sure if they were for sparring or target practice. It was more like a personal gym room the more she looked at it.

"Inside the perimeters on the floor are permanent cushioning charms, in the event that you fall, it won't hurt too badly," he sneered at the witch.

"Professor, do you use these rooms often?" she asked curiously, stepping in the perimeter.

"Not that it is any of your business, Miss Granger, but I do use these rooms at least once a week. I find working out to be quite therapeutic," the wizard answered.

He rationalized it by thinking he was doing himself a favor. Should he not answer her annoying invasive question, it might buzz about her mind the whole session causing an irritating and completely avoidable distraction. He did come to work out in these rooms at least once a week, but often tried for three times. It helped relieve his frustrations, to be able to take them out physically in a healthy manner was merely a bonus.

In the beginning he had tried drinking and later sex, but both were unhealthy.

Drinking for him was a terribly vicious cycle. It reminded him of his father, who was a mean and angry drunk, so it disgusted him as he often compared himself to his father when he drank. He didn't like it, even though he did like to drink, which made him hate himself more. To help forget this problem, he would drink more, it didn't always work. Originally he drank just for the sake of drinking, to get as wasted as possible. If it weren't for sober up potions, work would be completely unbearable; not to mention incredibly dangerous. Later on in life though he came to appreciate drinking socially, with his friends. He noticed that he had a different personality when he drank with people he liked.

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