August | Hermione Granger x OFC

Chapter Eighty-Three

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The second term started out with a bang. A bad sort of bang. A mass breakout from Azkaban sort of bang.

Antonin Dolohov, Peter Pettigrew, Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Bellatrix Lestrange, to name a few.

It was kind of terrifying.

But maybe that was why Robyn had felt a weird spike of happiness the night before – it hadn't been her emotions at all, but Voldemort's.

(She assumed it had been because of Hermione's company – specifically, Hermione's mouth.

Or maybe it was a mix of both. Probably. Maybe).

Professor Snape had explained to her the previous evening that Dumbledore theorised there must be some sort of connection between herself and the Dark Lord, and, as a result, whenever her Occlumency slipped, he could share his thoughts and emotions with her, and vice versa. Harry was involved, too, somehow, so Robyn wondered whether the two of them could also share thoughts and emotions with each other, but didn't dare ask. See, Snape had been in a right foul mood. Why? Because right before her own lesson, he had held Harry's first lesson, and it clearly hadn't gone very smoothly, so he took out his anger on her.

("You're hurting me!" she gasped, breathing heavily and shaking her head as if it would ease her pain.

"The Dark Lord will show you no mercy, nor shall I," Snape retorted easily. "Again! Legilimens!"

And, again, he broke through her barriers.

"Miss Rosier, that was the worst shield I've ever had the displeasure of penetrating. I will not tell you again, do better!" he spat rudely for the nth time that evening. He was being so mean and overdramatic – her shield hadn't even been that bad, she was just tired considering they'd been at it for hours. And usually his harsh methods worked on her, but this time, she struggled to bear it.

'I bet you know all about displeasure and penetrating, you greasy old virgin,' she thought bitterly, staring at him with contempt while still trying to catch her breath.

But then his eyes widened and so did her own because, shit, why did she say that- think that, whatever! Oh no...

"Out of my classroom!" he barked, standing roughly from his chair. She stood, too, honestly quite scared. He'd never yelled at her before, not even when she had yelled at him the time he saw her memory of the Cruciatus Curse. "Potter's influence on you is obvious! Disrespectful brats, the pair of you! OUT!"

She did as she was told, hurrying from the room with a red face, emotions all over the place.

In fact, she headed straight for the Room of Requirement, where Hermione was scheduled to meet her.

"Don't tell me your first Occlumency lesson was as bad as Harry's," was what Hermione greeted her with.

Right. Her "first" Occlumency lesson...Right.

She scowled before admitting, "I called him a greasy old virgin," and flopping onto a comfortable sofa which had appeared.

Funnily enough, a punching bag had also appeared, but Robyn didn't really want to let off steam by hitting something. No, now she was with Hermione, she'd rather—

"What?" Hermione laughed in disbelief, taking a seat beside her. "You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking."

"I wish I was."