Becoming Familiar with a Man of Misery

Chapter 56 ~ Visiting the Dean

Severus entered the Administration building for the second time that morning. The assistant at the desk quailed when she saw him striding toward the counter. The wizard was quite imposing.

As the Potions Master walked up to the desk the young student asked him, “May I help you sir?”

Severus glowered at her a moment then said, “My name is Professor Severus Snape. Would you please ask the Dean if he could spare a moment of his time to see me?”

The student looked at him. Despite the wizard’s scowling demeanor, he had been quite polite.

“Yes sir. Would you please take a seat?” she said, gesturing to the chairs that lined the walls of the office. Severus turned without a word and took a seat. The assistant disappeared into the back. After a moment, she returned.

“The Dean says he would be most pleased to see you, sir,” the student said, “The wait will be about five minutes. Would you like some coffee while you wait, Professor?”

The student said this with such alacrity that Severus knew the Dean had told her he was someone of import.

“No, thank you,” he replied.

“Very well,” the student said, obviously disappointed she couldn’t serve him something. “If you want anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

She stood there a moment, hoping he would request something but the Potions Master said nothing. She returned to her duties.

After about ten minutes, the student returned.

“Dean Wankton will see you now, sir,” the witch said to Severus, who rose and followed her back to the Dean’s office.

Dean Wankton rose from his chair and reached out to shake the Potions Master’s hand, but Severus simply sat down in the chair in front of the wizard’s desk, disregarding his proffered hand.

Dean Wankton cleared his throat and sat down.

“So good to see you again, Professor Snape. It’s been quite a while. Possibly I could secure you for a lecture in the near future?” the Dean asked.

Severus was a highly sought after speaker. Few could discuss potions like he could. His voice, his presence and his obvious love of his art held listeners mesmerized from beginning to end. If Severus Snape was passionate for anything other than Hermione, it was Potions.

“I highly doubt it, Dean,” Severus replied in a cold voice. “I am here to discuss the withdrawal of a student from your institution.”

The Dean’s eyebrows rose. He was unaware that there was a student here linked to the well-known Professor. The fact that the wizard wanted to withdraw the student was bad news indeed.

“The withdrawal of a student? But why? Is he not receiving a good education at our school, Professor?” asked the Dean.

“Actually, up until recently the student was receiving top marks. There is no doubt in my mind that this student will excel in whatever field of study that is ultimately chosen,” he said evenly.

This was high, high praise coming from the Potions Master, who had turned down the university’s best students who sought apprenticeships with him on the grounds they weren’t bright enough. To have a student in university that met with his approval meant the university would get credit for turning out such an exemplary graduate, and increase the rolls.

“Why do you wish to withdraw such a promising student?” the Dean asked Severus, his thick brows furrowed.

“I believe this school can no longer provide the kind of education that will allow this student to reach full potential,” Severus replied coolly. “In fact I find the staff at your facility substandard both in teaching and discriminatory in attitude.”

“That is quite a claim to make, Professor,” the Dean said rather sharply. “I assure that if any student has been discriminated against unfairly, I will soon set the issue back in order. It would be unfair of you to withdraw a student of such abilities from our hallowed halls without allowing us to correct our errors.”

Severus looked at the Dean levelly.

“I highly doubt, sir, that you could do anything to change my mind at this point, since you yourself are one of the guilty parties, and I witnessed your insulting, derogatory remarks via legilimency myself. I assure you, were you not Dean of this institution, a simple withdrawal would not be the only act I’d be committing at this point in time,” the Potions Master said with such deadly coldness the Dean blanched and spluttered.

“Surely you are in error, Professor Snape. I do not make it a habit of discriminating against students, particularly one who is so gifted that you hold him in high esteem,” the Dean said placatingly.

“I am not in error, Dean Wankton, the student in question is one Hermione Granger,” Severus replied evenly.

The Dean went silent for a moment, then recovered.

“Ah, Miss Granger…the unwed witch with child, I presume,” he said a bit coldly himself.

“No, Miss Granger, my fiancée who is carrying my child,” Severus replied. “And the most brilliant student your institution has seen in years. And believe me, it is not due to your substandard and outdated instruction, but her own hard work. You insulted her, sir and made no attempt to discover her situation before your entire staff embarked on destroying her perfect marks as well as her reputation with a complete and willful disregard for all she had accomplished. You called her a whore, sir, in loosely veiled language, and deemed her unsuitable for anything but the most menial employment. A witch who will most likely make the most dramatic changes and discoveries that have been seen in years, if not centuries.”

The Dean paled. He had no idea Miss Granger was betrothed to Severus Snape. Her youth and lack of a ring led him to automatically assume she was promiscuous and her child was fatherless. Oh great Merlin, what a mess. What a gods awful mess!

“And by insulting my wife to be, and my unborn child sir, you have insulted me. As I said, if you did not hold such a position at this institution, I would call you out, sir and beat you soundly for your unconscionable actions toward Miss Granger. But I have decided to withdraw her, and transfer her, along with her corrected transcripts to another institution, where she will receive her degree and all of her future successes will be attributed to this new institution and all her hard work. In addition, I will be writing the board concerning the treatment of the witch, and sending along a pensieve of both yours and Professor Floodsworth dialogue with her. I will also be speaking with some of your esteemed alumni, who contribute funds to your school about your treatment of my wife.”

The Dean looked at the wizard white-faced. Severus continued.

“And if this is not enough, Dean…you still have my fiancé to deal with. As of right now, she is distraught, but soon…she will become quite angry sir, not only at your treatment of her, but of other witches who may not have wizards to stand for them. You do not know Miss Granger, Dean, but you have made quite an enemy. Soon she will be forming some kind of support group, most likely with political implications. There are quite a few unwed witches and illegitimate children in the wizarding world sir, and if they are mobilized, I assure you Hermione will turn them into a force to be reckoned with. And I will put all my resources behind her, if need be.”

The Dean’s face fell at this statement. The Potions Master went on, leaning forward a bit in his chair, his silky voice resonating throughout the office.

“The practices of your institution will be her first target, I assure you. You would better be pummeled with fiery stones from heaven than have that witch against you. She is voracious sir, and will see you and your professors disgraced and removed from your positions in the end. I suggest you reconsider your institution’s stand against unwed mothers before this Armageddon occurs, Dean. You do this, and you might manage to retire in good standing when this is all over. You have quite an ordeal ahead of you.”

“Surely we can make some sort of amends toward your intended, Professor. A public apology perhaps from myself and her professors,” he suggested desperately.

“Too little, too late Dean. The wound you’ve made in that witch is too deep for a Band-Aid. Tomorrow I will come pick up her transcript and her transfer papers. I want them all in order so she can enroll in her new school immediately,” Severus said, then an ugly expression washed over his face.

“If you hamper her transfer in any way, Dean Wankton, I will forget your esteemed position at this university and return to personally take more than a pound of flesh from you. Am I understood?” Severus said, his black eyes glinting with malice.

“I understand you completely, Professor Snape,” the Dean replied, his heart pounding. He knew of the wizard’s dark past and knew that the man would not hesitate to physically injure him if driven to do so. This was awful, just awful.

“I will return tomorrow morning for Hermione’s transcripts. If they do not reflect her true standing in this university, there will be the devil to pay,” Severus said with a sneer. “That devil being me.”

Severus exited the Dean’s office with an impressive billow of robes.

Dean Wankton pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face. The wizard was absolutely frightening. He called his assistant. She opened the door.

“Yes, Dean Wankton?” she asked, her eyes concerned as she looked upon the obviously flustered wizard.

“I want you to contact all of Miss Hermione Granger’s teachers and have them convene in my office at four o’clock this afternoon. The meeting is mandatory,” the Dean said to her.

“Yes sir,” the assistant replied, “I’ll get right on it.”

“See that you do,” the Dean said gruffly, dismissing her.

He stared down at his desk. He had to come up with something for the board to explain the mistreatment of the betrothed of one of the most respected wizards in the field of Potions today. He was in a world of shit, that’s for sure.

Severus walked across the campus, feeling somewhat vindicated, though he wished he could have let his fists speak for him. Despite being a powerful wizard, Severus was an extremely physical being and preferred beating to hexing when meting out deserved punishment. Possibly, one of the wizards wouldn’t take him seriously, and he’d get the opportunity to avenge his lover in the manner preferred.

But it wasn’t going to happen. Both the Dean and Professor Floodsworth would have nightmares about him and Hermione for weeks to come.

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A/N: It would have been nice for Severus to have beaten the Dean senseless, but face it…he is a Dean. There would have been repercussions. Though I have no doubt the Professor would find him in a more private local and do him in if he needed to. Hermione will probably do just what Severus said she would. She doesn’t do injustice well and this is much different than house elf rights. This is a disenfranchised group of people who have been held down socially for centuries. The perfect fodder for change. Please review.

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The Burning Pen

Becoming Familiar with a Man of Misery
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 57

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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