Title: Paper Cuts
Pairings: Hermione/Severus
Summary: AU. No Magic. Hermione Granger is a best selling novelist thanks to her agent Severus Snape and soon becomes famous. With the amount of time they spend together travelling the world advertising her book, feelings may start to appear. But when it's time for her to write a new book, Severus Snape soon discovers her secrets and begins to wish he can turn back time. SSHG.
The alarm bleeped loudly in Hermione's ears and she groaned before she sleepily turned over onto her side and slammed her palm onto the alarm clock, making it stop in mid-bleep. She snuggled deeper into her pillow before she felt a pair of whiskers tickle her nose and she felt a wet tongue licking at her cheek and she slowly opened her eyes, only to see her ginger cat peering down at her, meowing softly.
"All right Crookshanks." She sighed and got up, Crookshanks jumping off her before she turned to look at the alarm clock on her bed-side table and her eyes widened with horror. "Bugger!" She yelled and threw the bed-covers of her and rushed to the bathroom to sort out her daily morning routine.
Today was the day, she thought as she brushed her teeth hurriedly. Today was the day that she was going to Hogwarts Limited to try and get her book published and she gave a wide grin at the thought before spitting out the tooth-paste. She quickly went into her bedroom, passing Crookshanks who was now sitting at the end of her bed, flickering his tail as he watched her with his beady eyes as she went to her wardrobe, frowning at what to wear. Her eyes skimming back and forth at all the clothes she had. Nothing seemed right!
"What to wear...what to wear..." She quickly tugged out a emerald green dress and turned around to show it to Crookshanks who merely hissed at it. She turned back around again. "I guess that's a no..." She then grinned as she saw a nice frilly white top and a black skater skirt and pulled it out to Crookshanks who meowed and Hermione nodded. "I think so too Crooks." She quickly threw on her outfit, grabbed her belongings and went straight out of the door and was greeted by the lovely warm sun.
She managed to call over a taxi and sat in the back seat, looking out of the window before quickly rummaging through her bags to make sure she had everything before she nodded, satisfied that she had. Hopefully everything would go well today. She wanted it to go perfectly.
Her publishing agent was a man called Severus Snape. He was not one of the most easiest men you could get along with but Hermione respected him and even admired him in some ways. He was very clever and brave due to the fact that he had fought in Afghanistan for a years before he quit the Army to open a publishing house. He was harsh yet truthful and if you didn't do your work properly, well, let's just say he'll be very aggravated.
The taxi stopped outside a large glass building and Hermione quickly paid the driver before getting out when she was greeted by a man with brilliant red hair and freckles. "Hermione!" He called to her cheerily.
Hermione put the bags in her hands and walked over to him before walking into the building together. "Hello Ron, how are you today?" The building itself was quiet large and everything about it was spotless. Almost nothing was out of place save for the amount of paper work on everybody's desk as she walked past.
"I'm all right. According to Neville, I believe you're seeing Mr. Snape today?" He cocked his head to the side.
"Of course. Hopefully to see if I can get my book published." She patted the contents of her bag and Ron tried to look in it but she quickly snatched the bag away from him and shook her head, smiling slightly. "Ah ah ah! Top secret and you know it." She pressed the button to the lift.
"Aw, c'mon Mione! Let me just have one pick?" He pleaded, giving her the puppy eyes. The lift doors slide open and she stepped in, leaving Ron outside.
"Nope. Not if you're calling me that nickname again!" She called and just as the doors closed she heard her friend give a good hearted laugh on the other side before the lift jerked upwards.
She took a deep breath and she hadn't realized how nervous she was. Hermione was never the nervous girl. She was always strong and confident and was always sure about herself. Her old school friends always thought she was a brave lion heart who faced as many dangers as possible and was always head strong. But now, reality was dawning on her and she only hoped that she would be successful.
The lift stopped silently and the light above the doors turned on before the doors slide open and she stepped out and headed down the corridor, holding her bag close to her chest and headed for the reception.
"Hello Luna." Hermione breathed as she stopped in front of a desk where a woman with long blonde hair and wore bottled cap earrings and Hermione eyed her, as though she was giving an aura of distinct madness.
The woman looked up from her computer screen and smiled. "Hello Hermione. Come to see Severus Snape again today?"
"Yes I have. He has arranged to meet me that is in a few minutes."
Luna nodded and typed away at the computer before turning to Hermione. "If you just want to take a seat, he'll be with you shortly." She indicated to some of the chairs opposite her and Hermione nodded and sat down, watching Luna leave, only to be returned a few minutes later. No doubt to inform Severus of her arrival.
She took a deep breath. This was it. The time had finally arrive to see if her book was successful or not. Of course, Severus has a copy but the one that Hermione was holding was the real deal.
A few minutes ticked by and she kept glancing at the clock nervously before glancing towards Severus office, wondering what was keeping him. But she mentally had to tell herself that she was early and that she just had to wait patiently.
Finally, she heard long-slow paced footsteps coming down the hall way and a figure emerged from the doorway and Hermione looked up to see a tall man who was dressed in black, his medium length black hair tied back in an emerald ribbon and his eyes as black as coal. His nose was distorted, as though broken and his skin was almost transparent. She stood up too quickly and felt slightly dizzy.
The man gave a curt nod. "I see you have arrived early Miss Granger, very good. May we proceed the rest in my office?"
Hermione could only nod, her voice caught in the back of her throat as she followed his lead.
"Sit." Severus commanded as they entered his office and Hermione sat in the chair opposite his mahogany desk and placed her bag upon her lap. Severus closed the door and strode towards his chair where he flexed his hands and placed them on the desk, leaning forwards slightly. Yet, even when he was sitting down, he was still towering over her and Hermione tried not to let this man intimidate her. She would not back down from this, not when she has come from so far.
"A few weeks ago you have given me your documents on a book that you want to be published." He began, ruffling through some documents. "Your book-A Thousand years-let's just say, it has great potentials so..." He drawled and Hermione was on the edge of her seat, her heart pounding so loudly, she swore that Severus could almost hear it. "I'm going to publish it."
Her bag dropped to the floor, her mouth opening and closing like a gold fish before she felt herself grinning like mad that her cheeks started to hurt. "Oh my wizard!" She cried with tears of joy and Severus raised an eyebrow at her.
"Calm yourself Miss Granger, you're making an embarrassment out of yourself."
She took out a tissue and dabbed her eyes with it before sniffling and sending him a slight smile. "I'm sorry, but I've just never been this happy in my whole life."
He merely nodded, not wanting anything to do with crying women, even if they were crying tears of happiness. "We have all ready set out for the publication process so your book should be in bookstores by the end of the year hopefully and by then, we will be seeing your A Thousand years in bookstores." He stood up and held out his hand and Hermione quickly composed herself and shook his hand, still smiling from happiness. "I will let you know how the progress of the book is coming every so often."
"Thank you so much. This honestly means the world to me." She said as she picked up her bag and followed Severus out of the door.
"I'm glad. Let's hope this book actually becomes a success." He gave her a look. "I expect great things from you soon Miss Granger. Pleasure doing business with you and please, try and not and cry next time."
She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry!"
"Until next time, Miss Granger."
She left his office and honestly, Hermione felt like skipping through the whole building, wanting to shout and scream with happiness over the success of her book. But she knew that she would make a fool of herself so instead, she walked out of Hogwarts Limited and kept grinning like a mad woman when her phone rang in her pocket, the song A Pocketful of sunshine, blaring loudly.
"Hello!" She called cheerily through the mobile once she found it, heading her way to her favourite cafe.
"Hermione!" The voice none other from her best friend, Harry Potter answered. "How did it go?"
"It went fantastic! My book going to be published! Can you believe it?!"
"Oh I'm so happy for you! Everyone here is dying to know what's happening. Any idea when it's going to be in stores?"
She squeezed through the crowd that was beginning to form on the pavements, trying to get to the cafe as well as talking to Harry at the same time. "Severus said it may be late this year, but it all depends on the printing."
"Hang on, Severus? Is this Severus Snape we're talking about? The guy with the long black hair and looks like a vampire?"
"Harry!" She chided. "Yes that one. How on earth do you know him?"
"Eh, my dad didn't get on well with him back in the Army you know, before he died."
"So your dad and Severus were in the Army together? This is a small world."
"Yeah. I'm surprised you managed to get a book published through him, apparently he's very strict about what he does."
Hermione snorted and opened the door to the cafe, smiling as she realized it was quite. "I'm surprised too. Though I bursted into tears of joy and he looked so uncomfortable I nearly burst out laughing. Though it was a good job I didn't otherwise he would of slapped me or worst, cancelled my book being published altogether! Anyway, I've got to go. I'll speak to you and Ginny soon, oh by the way, I saw Ron on the way in at Hogwarts Limited."
"I was wondering where Ron has been the last few weeks." Harry mused on the other end of the line. "But anyway, I'll let you go and congratulations! I expect to see you soon. Bye!" With that he hung up and Hermione smiled softly before putting her phone in her bag and ordered her usual and sat down next to a window, drinking her coffee and reading the morning newspaper.
She was about to take a bite out of her cornish pastry when the door of the cafe opened and out stepped a figure of Severus Snape and Hermione looked slightly surprised at him. "Severus?" She asked, slightly dazed.
"Hermione, I did not know you came here." He drawled and he took his jacket off and flung it over the chair opposite her.
"I didn't know you came here either. I didn't expect you to be the type of person to be the one that drops by in a cafe now and then."
"I do not though however, today is an exception and my receptionist Luna, recommended me this cafe for me from her Iphone." His lips twitched slightly.
"Not a fan of technology I gather?" Hermione inquired as she took a sip of her drink, feeling the warmth of it between her hands.
"Not particularly. I admit, some do have their uses but these days, they fill people's minds with such rubbish it lowers their personal IQ."
"Are you sure you're not talking about facebook?" She joked and he glowered at her but she did not feel intimidated and carried on grinning. Talking to Severus Snape actually was very pleasant for her when it was not about her book and once you got past his intimidating looks, he looked somewhat decent.
A waitress walked over to them, note pad in her hand and she cleared her throat, giving them both an awkward smile. "Is there anything I can get you?"
Hermione shook her head. "I've already got mine thanks." She held up her coffee and breakfast.
"I'll have a take out cappuccino please." Severus asked, handing her the bill and Hermione raised her eyebrow. "Just so I can make a quick get-a-way."
"So you can get away from me?" She teased as the waitress took the bill and went to get Severus's orders.
"Perhaps. You are an infuriating know-it-all after all."
"Oh that's a first!"
"First for what?" Severus asked, slightly confused.
"Throughout my entire life I have been called names for being who I am. Some raging from 'Nitwit' to 'bitch', you know, all the usual horrible names people call intelligent people." She sighed and pursed her lips.
Severus was about to say something when the waitress came back with his drink and he nodded his thanks to her. "Life is not fair Miss Granger. It is a tough world we live in and sometimes, the insults that are thrown at us make us even stronger than we were." He got up and took his coat before giving a curt nod in her direction. "Have a good day Miss Granger."
With that he left the coffee shop, leaving Hermione to her thoughts. What a particular man! She shook her head. He may be intelligent enough, but what can I deduce about his personality? Or even better, his heart?