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Snape couldn't believe his eyes. Gone was the gangly girl that had graced his classroom those four years ago. He had to do a double take to make sure he was seeing who he thought he was. Her hair was a fraction lighter, and not as bushy. She wore it down, and it landed just past her shoulders. She was still thin, but her figure resembled that of a woman; she no longer bore the bony frame of a teenager. Her brown eyes were filled with warmth, and though Snape couldn't believe once again that she was to be his apprentice, he seemed oddly content at the choice.
"Hermione, it's so good to see you, my dear." The headmistress pulled her into a hug that she gladly reciprocated.
"It's wonderful to see you as well. It feels so odd to be back." Hermione let go of her former mentor and glanced around as the final group of students rambled off toward their classrooms. Finally she turned to Professor Snape, a new wave of excitement and anxiety roiled through her. "Good morning, Professor."
He gave her a curt nod. "Granger." He reached down and picked up a briefcase and a pack of his own. It looked odd on his shoulder. He wore his typical billowing cloak and button up jacket. His normal black boots were in place and polished. She wondered how he would do any hiking in them. "Are you ready to go?" Hermione nodded, and without another word Snape turned on his heel and headed out the open door.
"Well, it was good seeing you for a moment, headmistress." Hermione gave McGonagall another quick hug, then turned to follow the potion's master.
"You as well, Hermione. Good luck!" Just as Hermione was about to turn and wave, Snape called out to her.
"Quickly, Granger. We don't have all day. No time for idle pleasantries." Hermione was about to retort, but then shut her mouth. She didn't want to upset the professor before their journey together had even begun. She knew it was an honor to be chosen for the assistantship, and it was an opportunity she was going to fully take advantage of.
"I'm coming, professor." She pulled her backpack up her shoulder and jogged quickly after him, reaching his side just as they walked through the gate. Snape stopped and regarded Hermione.
"There are a few things we need to go over before we disapparate to our first location." Hermione nodded. "Firstly, I will go over protocol for collection of ingredients for each location when we get there. Second, we will be apparating farther than you ever have before, even during your adventures with Potter and Weasley. The nausea and dizziness is exponentially increased the farther you travel. That is why I have asked you to bring anti-nausea potion. I have some with me as well that you may use. Eventually you will build a tolerance to travel, and the effects will be no more than regular apparition." He glanced at her up and down, then at her pack. "Did you bring everything on the list Minerva sent to you?" Hermione nodded. "Alright then, let's be off. The sooner we get to our first location, the sooner we can begin our work." He pulled his pack over his shoulder and picked up his case. "Are you ready?"
Hermione grinned. "Absolutely sir. May I just take this opportunity to thank you for giving me this opportu-"
"Save it, Granger. Those words won't flow so smoothly from your lips when you are near unconsciousness from nausea." With that he offered his elbow for her. She pulled her pack tight and tentatively tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. "Closer, Granger."
She squeezed his arm with her fingers, sliding up next to him, unsure of what to do next. She glanced up at Snape, and he looked down. "Take a deep breath. This will be very uncomfortable." Hermione did as she was told, filling her lungs with the fresh air around her, then, suddenly nervous, she closed her eyes tight. She felt Snape begin to twist on the spot and unknowingly squeezed his arm tighter.
Immediately she was compressed with the knowing feeling of disapparating. Nothing was out of the ordinary as far as she could tell. She felt as though she was being squeezed through an incredibly small tube, and her lungs burned as they normally did. She could feel Professor Snape pressed against her, and she thought about how odd it felt. She wondered briefly where they might be traveling to. Perhaps America, or maybe Asia.
Suddenly she realized that something was dreadfully off. She shouldn't have had time to think of any of these things. Apparition was nearly instantaneous. Suddenly she realized that her throat felt raw, and her head pounded. Something was definitely wrong. This shouldn't be taking so long. Perhaps Snape had done something incorrect. No, she thought to herself, before she lost the ability to think. Snape had done this hundreds of times more than her, and at distances that she didn't even fathom. Suddenly there was a loud thumping and everything went black.
Hermione felt the ground under her feet and slowly came to realize that they had arrived. She also realized that she was leaning quite heavily against Snape, both arms clung to his desperately. Her eyes were closed, and she came to understand that the thumping was her heart pounding and the blood rushing behind her ears. She opened her mouth to say something, but the first wave of nausea overtook her, and just as Snape stepped away from her, she fell to her knees, retching.
After several moments she had thoroughly emptied the contents of her stomach, but the nausea didn't go away. She opened her eyes, but that was no good. The bright sunlight of wherever they were burned and caused her head to pound even harder. She retched again, feeling her backpack slide to one side of her body. She limply tossed it aside to avoid it falling in the mess. She heard noise coming from her left, but didn't dare open her eyes. Before she could take another breath, dizziness washed over her and everything went black.
When she opened her eyes again the sun was beating down on her. She felt sweat dripping down her temples. Her head continued to pound, and her stomach roiled, but she focused all of her energy on keeping the rest of the stomach acid and bile where it was. Carefully she sat up, still no trusting her eyes to open. When she was pushed up on her knees, she fell forward, vomiting once again.
Her stomach muscles hurt, and when she finally felt her stomach momentarily calm, her head pounded so hard she felt tears welling in her eyes. Angry with herself for her weakness, she pushed herself upright. The sudden movement forced her eyes open to help maintain the little balance she had left.
She noted that she was standing on grass, and glancing around as quickly as she dared, she saw that they were situated on the edge of a cliff. This flat, grassy area overlooked a small waterfront city. It was quite lovely; she just wished she was in a better state to enjoy it.
Finally turning, she saw Snape approaching her. He looked absolutely fit. He had removed his cloak, wearing just his jacket and black pants. Off towards the edge of the cliff was a large canvas tent that looked fairly similar to the one the Weasley's owned. She took another deep breath, pressing her palm to her forehead to try to stop the pounding.
"Here, drink this." She looked up to see Snape holding out a small vial towards her, filled with a pink liquid. She knew it instantly as the anti-nausea potion. She took it quickly, downing the entire amount in one swallow. The peppermint taste was wonderful in her sour mouth, but she felt it hit her stomach. It bubbled for a moment and another wave of nausea hit her. She clamped her hand over her mouth, willing herself to keep from vomiting again. When she felt that she wasn't in imminent danger of upchucking again, she lowered her hand and looked up at her professor.
"Thank you, sir." She took another breath, still feeling goose bumps over her whole body. "I'm sorry about that." She looked him up and down. He looked completely unfazed. She felt like she was in the middle of a three day bout with food poisoning.
"Nonsense, Granger. I told you I'd built up a tolerance to this type of apparition." He eyed her, realizing how unsteady she was. "Come now, rest up." He took her elbow and pulled her towards the tent.
"No, sir, I'm fine. We need to get to work." Her speech was a bit slurred, but Hermione didn't notice.
"Did you not listen to a word I said to you before we left? The rest of this day will be spent resting up from our travels. This will be the norm until you are used to long distance disapparition." She stumbled as they walked, and kept tripping over her own feet.
"But sir, you look absolutely fine. I don't want to hinder our work."
Granger, I've planned this entire trip accordingly. I knew you'd be a blithering mess for the rest of the day, and you've proven me correctly. You are in no state to be on any use to me. Lie down."
Hermione couldn't believe it, but just walking from where she stood to the tent took nearly all the strength she had. His words stung, and she desperately wanted to feel better to prove him wrong. She turned to argue the point, but at that moment he pushed aside the tent flap and she spotted two cots, one on each side. She collapsed on the one nearest her, and before she could even turn to argue with Snape, she was fast asleep.
When Hermione opened her eyes, she glanced around to see that she was alone in the tent. Similarly to the Weasley's tent, this one was magically enhanced, although not as nicely. It wasn't much larger inside than it looked outside. The main room of the tent consisted of the sleeping area, which she realized was not private in the least. Deciding to worry about that later, she glanced towards the opposite end. There was a small door off to one side that she guessed was the bathroom, and decided to go check.
Snape had brought her backpack in while she had been sleeping, and she dug inside it for her toothbrush and toothpaste.
The small door did in fact lead to a small bathroom, although latrine would be more accurate. There was a toilet and sink, with a small bare light bulb illuminating the tiny space. She quickly brushed her teeth, feeling immediately better. Her head still throbbed, but it was much better than earlier. She splashed some cold water on her face, then emerged back into the main room.
The air had cooled off quite a bit, so she pulled a sweater out of her bag and tied her hair back into a ponytail. Exiting the tent, she was amazed to see that the sun was nearly gone over the horizon. She had been unconscious nearly the whole day. This would simply not do. She was determined to figure out how to get over this sickness faster than she did today.
She walked to the edge of the cliff, finally getting a glimpse of the town below. She still didn't know where they were, but at the moment, she was just glad that she felt better enough to finally enjoy it a bit.
The small town was 'U' shaped, carved out of the mountain and formed around a small harbor. Boat traffic was nonexistent, but the lights of the city reflected off the water in a pale blue glow. Remembering that she still had her camera in her jeans pocket, she took it out and took a shot of the evening skyline. "Granger, what on earth are you doing?"
She spun around at the sound of Snape's voice, then wished she hadn't as her head pounded once again. "Ugh." She closed her eyes and after several seconds the pain subsided back to its dull throbbing. "I was just taking a photo of the town." She held up her small blue camera. "My mum and dad got it for me for the trip." She put it back in her pocket, then realized how odd Snape looked.
He was completely dressed as a muggle. He wore his black boots, but dark blue jeans instead of his normal black pants, and a dark grey sweater instead of his thousand button coat. He looked so different that if it hadn't been for his voice, she wouldn't have known it was him. "Are you quite finished ogling me?" He placed a hand on his hip, and Hermione didn't know whether to be embarrassed or to burst into a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry, sir, I've just never seen you dressed in this…manner before." She swept her arm in front of him for emphasis.
"Well, you will have a year to get used to it." He looked at her, standing upright and on her own two feet. "I take it you're feeling better now?" He pulled his pack off his shoulder, dropping it in the grass next to him.
"Yes, sir, very much. My head still hurts, but not nearly as much as before." She gave him a lopsided grin, but he turned away from her with no response. He lifted the tent flap and with a flick of his wand the small table and two chairs that had been in the tent came out and situated themselves near the edge of the cliff. Snape picked up his pack up and walked to the table, and Hermione wordlessly followed. "I am assuming that magic is allowed here? Um, where exactly are we?"
He sat down at the table, pulling a bag of crackers, a container of sliced cheeses and a bunch of purple grapes out of his bag, placing them on the table. "You are correct on the magic, and we are in Norway. The town below us is Bergen."
Hermione sat down across from him and began nibbling on a cracker. It sat alright, so she tried a piece of cheese. Snape sat for a moment watching her, then started eating as well. "What shall we be collecting here, sir?" She plucked several grapes off the bunch and ate them slowly.
"Tomorrow we shall obtain fishing licenses, then hike into the mountains. We will be collecting the teeth from thirty piranhas during the day, and Waxskin Beetle scales at night." Hermione nodded, then fear flooded through her.
"I don't speak Norweigen, sir." He glanced up from his food, eyeing her with a look of utter bewilderment.
"I didn't expect that you did, Granger, although it wouldn't surprise me." Noticing that this did nothing to ease her fear, he couldn't help the dire chuckle that escaped him. "Are you a witch or not?" She nodded tentatively. "Granger, there is a spell that you can use in order to not only speak any language, but to understand it as well."
Hermione's eyes brightened. "I've never heard of such a spell before. I never learned that in Charms, nor did I read about it." She tipped her head in confusion.
"Well no, you wouldn't have. I created it." He popped a grape in his mouth in satisfaction at the shocked look on her face.
"Sir, that's amazing. To invent a spell from scratch takes years!" Her voice had elevated, and her head began to pound again, but she tried her best to ignore it. "May I ask what it is?"
Snape nodded, swallowing. He pulled out his wand, and she followed suit. He pressed his wand to the skin behind his right ear. "Repeat after me and do exactly as I do." She shook her head fiercely, hanging on his every word. "Audiat mundi."
She repeated the words, placing specific emphasis on the 'Au' and the 'mu'.
"You should feel a warming sensation in both ears, and your hearing will seem heightened." She furrowed her brow. She had felt neither of those. "Don't get discouraged Granger. Try again. Place the tip of your wand closer to your earlobe, and press a bit harder." She nodded, trying again. Still nothing. "Just because you don't get it on the first try, Miss Granger, doesn't mean that you aren't the insufferable know-it-all that I have come to know." He smirked, and she became determined. Pressing her wand harder into her skin, she repeated the words.
Immediately it felt as though her ears had been dipped in warm water. She shrieked with triumph, then regretted the pain that flashed through her forehead.
"Calm down. That is just the spell to understand a foreign tongue. Now you must learn the spell to be able to speak." She nodded again, frustrated that he didn't praise her for learning a complicated charm so quickly.
Next, Snape placed his wand against his throat, near his Adam's apple. "Be gentler this time with the tip of your wand. If done correctly, you will feel the same warming sensation in your throat." He waited for her to nod in understanding, then spoke again. "Loqueris ad Omnes"
She repeated his words, and was thrilled that she immediately felt the sensation she was looking for. She beamed at him. "It worked!"
"Calm down! You act as if you're the first witch to ever get a spell right on the first try. Honestly, I'd expect that reaction from a second year, but not from you." He rolled his eyes and stared down at her, exasperation painting his features.
Immediately she felt like she was back in Potions class, being berated by the professor that everyone hated and feared so much. She felt emotions well up inside her, but clamped them down, desperate not to cry in front of him.
"My apologies, Professor. I'm quite tired. I think I shall retire for the night." She turned and stalked back to the tent, waiting until her back was to him until she let the first of the angry tears fall.
She kicked off her sneakers when she entered the tent, then flicked her wand to change her clothes from her shirt and jeans to a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. She let out a deep breath, wiping the tears away quickly as she heard Snape enter behind her. "I'm going for a walk." She wouldn't meet his eye, staring at the floor. He pulled on a black wool jacket. "Good night, Granger."
His voice was cold as ice, but there was an odd quality to it, one she'd never heard before, but it made her uneasy. She wished she had more energy to analyze it, or to just be mad in general. But all she could feel now was sadness and fatigue. Pulling out her journal she jotted a quick note down, then, barely shoving the book and pen back in her bag, she fell asleep on top of the blankets of her cot.
So there you have it, Hermione's first experience with Snape. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I cannot believe the positive feedback I've gotten so far. You guys are just amazing!
Worrywart – Thanks for the comment…you'll find out about the 13 objects soon =) Thanks for following the story!
Kojowren – Thanks so much for your interest and kind words! I'll update as quickly as I can. I'm really enjoying writing this, and though my brain tends to jump from project to project, I hope to land on this one a lot!
THESE VOICES WONT SHUT UP – I'm sorry you don't like the picture idea. It's certainly more work for me, but I love traveling and seeing photos from places I've never been, so I thought this would be a fun way to combine the two, but you certainly don't need to see the pictures to get the effect of the story…it's just an added bonus.
Kayleigh-FanfictionAddict-21 – Thanks so much for the review. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!
TheTV-Junkie – Thanks girlie! I'm glad you like the pictures so far…there will be some more coming up that you'll LOVE. I tried to be crafty, and I'm pretty proud of myself LOL. Thanks for the kind words and as always thanks for reading my story. I'll be talking to you! =)
A/N – No new pictures yet, but check out www. Snapesassistant . for Hermione's photo album. I will update pictures with the next chapter, and also Hermione's journal entry.
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