Helping Hermione
It was the Christmas holidays at Grimmauld Place and all of the staff at Hogwarts had decided to have a break. Sirius had invited everyone to his home for the holiday so that they could all relax. Snape, being Snape, would have preferred to have stayed at Hogwarts in his dungeon but Dumbledore had made him go as he deserved a break like the rest of the staff did.
He reluctantly packed a few robes in a suitcase and left his beloved potions room behind for the holidays.
As soon as he arrived at Grimmauld Place, he was met by a group of rather rowdy, excited students, and a group of adults he didn't recognise, drinking in the kitchen. He found Molly and Remus in the living room and immediately requested a room away from all of the loud, disruptiveness of the main area of the house.
Remus led him to a room on the top floor of the building where no noise from the lower floors could be heard, then left him to unpack his things. Severus sighed, having not really wanted to come here in the first place let alone be surrounded by loud students all holiday as well as all term. He took his time unpacking his things, and then went downstairs to find something to eat. He noticed Hermione was sitting alone in a quiet corner of the living room when he briefly entered it on the way to find the kitchen but thought someone would probably sort her out by the end of the day anyway and carried on his search for the kitchen.
Later on that night he heard someone crying in a room near his own and wondered who it was. He decided to use his leglimency powers to try and read their mind and discovered that it was Hermione crying two rooms down from his. He got up and knocked on her door, waiting for her to answer. She opened the door and looked rather surprised to see the potions master standing there.
"Hello Professor…" she said quietly and he could tell she was holding back tears and trying to make herself appear to be ok, even though he had read her mind and knew she was far from fine.
"Miss Granger, may I come in?" he asked, hoping she would let him at least try to help.
"Er… yeah… ok…" she replied, looking rather surprised by him wanting to go in her room.
As soon as she had shut the door, he put a silencing spell on it so that nobody else could hear them. "Miss Granger I couldn't help overhearing you crying and I wondered what was troubling you," he said, looking at her tear-streaked face.
"I'm fine Professor…" she replied, looking away from him as if she knew he was trying to read her mind.
"I already know exactly what is in your mind, Miss Granger. I was able to read it from two rooms away which suggests that you are not entirely concentrating as well as you should be… I was wondering whether I could be of any assistance, seeing as you did help me out before…"
Hermione looked up at him, remembering the time she had helped him out when he had been in a fight.
"Snape?" a familiar voice said and he looked up to see Hermione Granger sitting in a chair on the other side of the desk.
"Miss Granger…" he said irritably, having been desperate to avoid anyone he knew.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"The door said this is a dental surgery… I am in sufficient pain to stoop low enough to seek help from muggles…" he replied, glaring at her slightly.
A man walked into the room and said to Hermione "Is this the next customer?"
"Yes father. He's… He's my friend so is there any chance you could treat him for free? So there is no record of him coming here? It would be a betrayal to his usual dentist you see…" Hermione said, trying to stop her parents being suspicious about him and connecting him to the man wanted by the police.
"Well if he's your friend he is more than welcome here," her father smiled, "Free of charge of course." He added.
Severus looked at Hermione in disbelief for a few seconds before he managed to pull himself together and enter the small room at the back of the surgery. "What did you say his name is, Hermione?" her father asked her as he prepared some numbing fluid.
"Erm… Steve," Hermione said hurriedly.
"Ok Steve. Just relax. This wont hurt at all."
Severus felt a small prickle of pain go across his jaw before he passed out from feeling so scared.
She smiled nervously at him and said, "Thanks Professor… I just fell out with Ronald… He's being really…"
"Weasley-like?" Snape suggested, smiling slightly, "Miss Granger, he is an arrogant boy that has not yet learnt the art of being nice at the right times… He shall learn. Until then he will need help from the more… grown-up friends he has… yourself for instance…"
Hermione looked quite surprised that she had just received something that resembled a compliment from Severus Snape. "Thanks Professor…" she said, looking up at him and smiling slightly.
Snape smiled at Hermione, glad that she was smiling even if it was only a small smile. He was extremely grateful for the help she had given him and hoped he had been some help to her. "If you need to talk, Miss Granger, feel free to come and find me. And perhaps a few occlumency lessons may help you to concentrate a little more… only if you want to though of course…"
Snape then removed the silencing charm and left her room, his long cape billowing behind him as he returned to his room once more, hopefully without any upset women interrupting his line of thinking this time.