Disclaimer: Again I own nothing that belongs to Rowling.
Hermione finally woke up yawning, she sat up and looked around her room. "I don't remember falling asleep, that run must have drained me of all my energy..." She said softly to herself as she looked around her room. Outside her window she could see the sun was still rising. "At least I didn't sleep all day..." she said through another yawn. "Arggg! Stop it Granger..."
She slid off the bed, and exited her room and descended the down the stairs. She shifted her fingers through her hair, sighing as she entered the kitchen.
"Hermione...I'm so glad you got up, did you go another run this morning?" Hermione's mother was sitting at the kitchen table with her hands held together in her lap.
"Mum, I thought you had work today-I, yes...I went on a long run, it seems it took me out because I remember taking a shower, I remember changing...but I do not remember falling asleep." she said before she yawned yet again.
"I'm so glad you have found a...hobby." Her mother smiled, as she placed her hand on the chair next to her, "Please sit, Hermione. I wanted to spend some time with you before you go so I took a half a day off, I didn't have any more patients other than walk-in and your father agreed to take any of those off my hands."
"He didn't want to come see me?" Hermione asked softly as she took the seat offered to her, looking into her mother's eyes.
"Oh no, it wasn't that Hermione. Your father decided it was best if I get to see you off, he is planning on a trip for Christmas for the three of us and he had a patient who was coming in specifically for him, so he had to be the one to stay. He said he'll miss you, girl."
Hermione nodded, as she looked up to her mother. "Oh, tell him I'll miss him too." she said as she felt slightly uncomfortable. She hated being in between them and being the topic of argument.
"He knows, but I'll let him know you said so, darling." She said softly with a soft smile. "I wanted to apologize for our arguing, Hermione. I know you must have heard words that have upset you...and-"
"Mum, you said I wasn't normal, you dismissed magic as if it was evil, you didn't take into account muggles can be just as evil as those who can use magic. Look at Adolf Hitler, he is the muggle world's Voldemort, is he not?" she said as she looked deeply into her mother's eyes.
"Your father has counter-argued with that fact, love. I just wish I could spend more time with you." Hermione's mother looked like she was about to cry. "I wish I can understand what you are going through, I wish I could aid you with the tough decisions that you are going to have to make, I hate seeing you struggling Hermione, especially since I cannot do anything about it..."
Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. "Oh mum, you can still help me...with the tough decisions..."
"No Hermione, I can't. I don't understand the Wizarding World, I have read the books you left behind and I cannot comprehend it...I keep thinking I'm reading a work of fiction, but then you come home and I realize it's not because my beautiful little girl is apart of the world I cannot grasp." Her mother said with tears slipping down her cheeks.
"Oh mum!" Hermione said through tears, as she leaned over to her mother and hugged her. "I wish you could comprehend my world, I wish you could help me with decisions, I wish you could just accept me for who I am."
"I do accept you, Hermione. It's just-I hate to see you struggling. You don't write as much as you have, and I miss the little girl, who cried to me for help. I know your growing up to be a remarkable Witch, the Smartest in the century or so Professor McGonagall has written to me." She paused breifly to take a breath. " Your head of House has kept me informed because she felt that I needed to know what was going on with my little girl. But even with her letters combined with yours, I still don't understand everything you could possibly be going through. I never felt like I didn't belong, I have never felt the need to prove myself."
"Oh mum," Hermione said softly, as she kept hugging her. "Can we go out, and spend the rest of the day together, just being ordinary women of the Granger family?" Hermione asked softly as she released her hug, keeping her hands at her mother's shoulders.
"That sounds wonderful, Hermione. I would love to go out and have an ordinary girls day out, perhaps we can visit Wizarding London, and I can help you pick up some robes to wear, McGonagall tells me you will need some dress robes, and a few casual ones in her last letter and I would love to help you pick them out, even though I don't quite understand Wizarding fashion."
Hermione smiled, sighing. "Sounds wonderful mom, you are better at fashion than I am and I suppose it would be the most normal activity we can do without classifying it with a title of Wizard and Muggle."
Professor Snape had finally made it home, and he put his brief case down next to the door. He sighed as he thought of the girl who had crashed into him before the meeting. "She called me Professor Snape, so obviously she was a student...but who?" he asked himself aloud.
He entered his kitchen and started to prepare a small lunch, rice with meat and potato soup. He sighed again, shaking his head. "You need to contact Dumbledore..." he told himself as he sat at his kitchen table, and leaned his head into his hands. His thoughts swirling on the meeting and everything that could have gone wrong, but didn't. His heart was still pounding as he had expected to feel the effects of the cruciotus curse.
He was trembling, he could feel his entire body shaking. "Stop feeling this way, you did a good job. You didn't get attacked the moment you came into the meeting, your Lord praised you for keeping your position under Headmaster Dumbledore, he praised you for everything you have done while he was away." Snape said to himself, as he held himself together. "You knew he was to return, that's why you never changed your attitude, when it came to being a Professor at Hogwarts." he sighed as he thought of all the children reporting to their parents about his never changing attitude, his hatred towards anyone that wasn't Slytherin, his favoritism of his special Slytherins. He sighed as he took a deep breath. "I don't know how to continue doing this Lily, I no longer have the strength..." he spoke quietly in the candle lit room.
Hermione and her mother spent hours shopping for cloths and other things for Hermione's new school year. They had finally found themselves settled in a small restaurant outside Wizarding London across from The Leaky Cauldron. Their bags were compacted by magic and placed into muggle shopping bags that rested at Hermione and her mother's feet.
"That was exhilarating, I never thought it could be fun to go out shopping." Hermione said through a cheerful smile.
"That's because I have neglected my motherly duties, Hermione. I'm so glad we got to spend the day together. I truly needed to spend more quality time with you, your father has expressed this to me over and over again. I'm sorry I've been basking in my own self pity, I should have realized you were struggling with the same circumstances."
"Mum, enough apologizing. We had a wonderful day spent as Mother and Daughter." Hermione said smiling, as the waiter appeared at their side.
"Is there anything else I can help you with ladies?" he spoke with a cheery smile as he watched the interaction between them.
"Oh no," Hermione's mother spoke shaking her head. "I don't think I can eat another bite, but if you want dessert you can order some, I would like a coffee though." she said as she raised an brow to her daughter.
"Oh...yes a small Gelato, chocolate and a coffee as well, if you would." Hermione spoke with a smile, as she took a long deep breath after the waiter left them to get their coffee and Hermione's ice cream.
A few hours later, Professor Snape sat in a dark corner of Three Broomsticks, taking long pauses between sips, savoring the warmth that went down his throat and through his digestive system. His eyes remained on the front entrance, he had sent word to the Headmaster to meet him for a drink.
It only took a few more antagonizing minutes before Dumbledore entered The Three Broomsticks in all his glory of colorful robes, half-moon shaped glasses, long white hair, and beard. He walked to the bar "Rosemarta, may I have a butter bear, and another firewiskey for Severus, if you would be so kind." He said softly, as the dear woman placed two bottles before him. "Thank you, I will come by again in a few days to come see you, alright?"
"No problem Headmaster, enjoy your drink." Rosemarta said with a smile, as she watched the Headmaster go to the darkest corner and sit down across from Professor Snape.
"Hermione, you have to go in a couple of hours...you better bring your things down!" Hermione's mother called from the kitchen.
"I'm coming down now mom," Hermione said as she pulled her trunk behind her down the stairs and before the door. "I have a few more things, and then I will be done." She said softly, as she entered the kitchen. "Is dad going to be home to see me off?"
"Oh yes darling, he just called and said he was bringing some thing special for his little girl, as a Fifth Year Witch present." Her mother said softly, "I'm making one of your favorite dinners..."
"Oh mum, you know you didn't have to do that..." Hermione said as she walked over to her mother, taking a whiff and marveling in the foods' essence. "Oh but it smells simply marvelous..." she said softly as she hugged her mother tightly.
"Oh darling, thank you for spending the day with me...you have shown me that you are still my little girl" Hermione's mother said softly as she hugged her daughter tightly to her chest. "I feel so foolish now, thinking otherwise..."
"Mum, you know you will always be my mother." Hermione said softly, before giving her cheek a kiss. "But I must get the rest of my things prepared." she said as she pulled out of her mother's grasping hug, and went back upstairs. "Crookshanks..." she said softly "It's nearly time to go..." she said as she went back into her room. "Ah there you are predator.." she said as the orange hald kneezel came strutting in from the tree just outside her window. "You should go down stairs, I'll bring your carrying case down, say your good byes to mother, won't you?"
Crookshanks jumped by her feet and slid his body against Hermione's calves and ankles. Purring, while he enjoyed his mistress' happiness. Then he jumped onto her bed, and curled into a ball.
"What's wrong Crooks?" she asked as she sat beside him on her bed. "Did you wish to stay here with my parents?" Crookshanks made a face that only could be described as a smile, as he walked over to Hermione and sat on her lap. "If that's what you desire, I will grant it. I don't want an unhappy familiar, Crooks."
He purred as she pet him behind his ears, and he nuzzled Hermione's lap, before jumping down off the bed. Nodding his head, indicating he wished to stay at the Granger House. Before he left the room and descended down the stairs.
"Crooks, I will see you when I return for the winter." Hermione said softly, as she went into her closet and grabbed a few things she had just bought and placed them in her new trunk, and descended the stairs and placed it next to her other things. She then picked up Crooks' carrying cage and went back up into her room and set it down in it's rightful spot on the chair next to the bed.
"He accepted me Headmaster, just as you knew he would." stated Professor Snape, as he looked to the old man who took the seat across from him.
"You don't look too pleased with yourself, Severus." Dumbledore said softly, as he placed the bottle of Firewiskey before the young man and opening his own bottle of butter beer and pouring it into the glass Rosemarta had provided him with.
"You are using me, just as HE is, Headmaster..." Snape stated flatly as he took the bottle from Dumbledore's grasp and opened and briskly refilled his glass before setting it down next to the empty bottle of Firewhiskey he had managed to drain before Dumbledore managed to make an appearance.
"My son," Dumbledore started, but before he could get any further with his words Severus had tossed his glass at him, but it only floated in the air spinning in front of Dumbledore's head. The fluid inside the glass was floating around Dumbledore's head like their was no gravity, and orbited around him like it meant nothing to him, that Snape had just attempted to harm him with a full glass of Firewhiskey.
"He calls me that as well, you old coot!" Snape raged as his eyes lit with a fire, Dumbledore had not seen in years. "After this war is over, count me out old man." Severus stated coldly as he stood up, narrowing his eyes as he kept his eyes locked with Dumbledore. "If I have not died before this war is over...we are through." Severus stated in the coldest voice he had on his arsenal. He did his best to tower over Dumbledore, with his most intimidating glare, he had reserved for dunderhead students. "You will not use my love for Lily...against me...anymore, you hear me?" he growled before he left, cloak flowing behind him as he stormed out of Three Broomsticks, slamming the door behind him.
"I hate being used..." Severus stated only to himself as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the alley near by his home, and after feeling the familiar tightness and with a pop he was back to Spinner's End. He had left his brief case at Three Broomsticks, next to Dumbledore, only he could open the case anyway.
"I'm so sorry Lily," Severus spoke softly, as he walked down the road, heading back to his humble abode.
Author's Note: I know you are all surprised, I am writing again. I still haven't decided if this is the same story I was writing before or a completely new one, if you have an opinion I would like to hear it. PM me if you would like.
Lost O'Fallon Girl